The Year Without a Santa ClausTurns 50: How Heat Miser and Snow Miser Helped Make It a Classic

Mar. 15, 2025

Heat Miser in ‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’ (right); Snow Miser (left).Photo:ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty (2)

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty (2)

What if Santa Claus tried to take a Christmas off?

The Year Without a Santa ClausstarredMickey Rooneyas Santa Claus, Shirley Booth as Mrs. Claus, Dick Shawn as Snow Miser, George S. Irving as Heat Miser, Bob McFadden as Jingle, Bradley Bolke as Jangle Bells and Colin Duffy as Ignatius Thistlewhite. Rooney also voiced Santa inSanta Claus Is Comin' to Town, making this his second go-around as the character.

From left: Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Jingle and Jangle in ‘A Year Without a Santa Claus’.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Jingle and Jangle in ‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

But McGinley’s book had just the most basic story — about Santa wanting a year off and the children of the world rallying around him. According to Rankin/Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt, frequent Rankin/Bass collaborator Romeo Muller was the one who created Heat Miser and Snow Miser, who became the special’s breakout stars.

In an excerpt from his new bookRankin/Bass‘ The Year Without a Santa Claus and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 50th Anniversary Scrapbookpublished inRemind Magazine, Goldschmidt quoted late Rankin/Bass character designer Paul Coker Jr., who said, “When I got a script from Romeo, I could see the magic in his writing! It was very easy for me to conjure up an image of all the characters that would be involved.”

The poster for ‘A Miser Brothers’ Christmas'.Amazon

Amazon

Heat Miser and Snow Miser remain two holiday icons. They’ve inspiredornaments, Christmas sweaters and evena viral TikTok makeup challenge.

Christmas entertainment can sometimes be criticized for being treacly and cliché, butThe Year Without a Santa Claussubverts those stereotypes with its zany characters, who act in the strange, contradictory ways, like real people do. Here, Santa is not a perfect giver, but someone who feels tired and unappreciated. In 1986, PEOPLE wrote that the special was “just cynical enough” for “holiday-weary” adults to enjoy.

The Year Without a Santa Clausgot a live-action remake in 2006 starring John Goodman, Delta Burke, Michael McKean and Harvey Fierstein. The original special also got a new stop-motion sequel in 2008 withA Miser Brothers' Christmas. Rooney and Irving reprised their roles as Santa and Heat Miser, respectively, but Shawn and Booth had died before the film was produced. Rooney also voiced Santa in one other production, 1979’sRudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July.

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ABC airedThe Year Without a Santa Clausyearly from 1974 to 2018, when AMC took over the rights.

The Year Without a Santa Clausairs on AMC throughout December and is also available to rent online.

source: people.com