Publication Date: 12-20-2025

The Three Shorts of Christmas

Everyone has a staple Christmas movie or special during the holiday season. Growing up in Chicago, we have our own way of everything. One year, I reckon around 2000, my dad brought up from the basement a blank VHS tape in a stainless white shell. He sat me on the couch, put it in the VCR, and on came three unforgettable shorts in glorious black and white. They were Hardrock, Coco, and Joe: The Three Little Dwarfs, Suzy Snowflake, and Frosty the Snowman in that order. My first reaction to those shorts is hazy, but obviously, they resonated immediately, seeing as how, into my late twenties, I have yet to go a holiday season without watching them.

Hardrock, Coco and Joe: The Three Little Dwarfs (1951) review

Written by: Stuart Hamblen

Hardrock, Coco and Joe: The Three Little Dwarfs remains my personal favorite of the three.

If there is one thing all three of these shorts have in common, it’s being simply whimsical and easy on the eyes and ears. Shot with stop-motion animation in the early 1950s, Hardrock, Coco and Joe plays a tune that may just be stuck in your head for the entire day. It tells the story of Santa’s three helpers of the same names. Hardrock is the driver of Santa’s sleigh, Coco reads maps and shows him the way. And though Santa really has no need for Joe, he takes him ’cause he loves him so.

The short is joyous, effervescent, soft, and cheery. With so many Christmas songs and specials fixated on Santa’s loyal reindeer, here’s a short that turns the focus on Santa’s three little helpers. He can’t possibly do his job alone. The stop-motion stylings of Wah Ming Chang are primitive yet fluid. Even as a child, I felt Hardrock, Coco and Joe was ripe for feature-length expansion. That might be my future screenplay. Time will tell.

Suzy Snowflake (1951) review

Written by: Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett

Suzy Snowflake is next, which at the time was my least favorite of the three shorts. Now, I have grown to love it, just like how I love that the sweet vocals of Rosemary Clooney are synonymous with Christmastime. It tells the soft parable of the titular angel who comes “tappin’ on your window pane to tell you she’s in town.” The short was also animated by Wah Ming Chang, who also did the stop motion work for Hardrock, Coco and Joe.” The result is a delightful short; gentle and angelic.

Frosty the Snowman (1951) review

Dir. Robert Cannon and John Hubley

Frosty the Snowman is probably best known as the 1969 TV special that stretched the two-minute Gene Autry song into a 25-minute iteration fit for primetime holiday viewing. The version I remember best is the original 1951 short, commissioned by UPA that has become a staple on WGN-TV in Chicago and WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, just like the aforementioned two shorts.

It’s a fitting music video, in so many words, that accompanies the instantly recognizable song. The soft, cell animation brings to life an imaginative story that’s as timeless as it is beautiful.

Bozo, Gar and Ray: WGN TV Classics (2005)

In 2005, WGN decided to air a special on Christmas Eve called Bozo, Gar and Ray: WGN TV Classics. The special would not only properly air all three shorts within in its two hour time frame, but give an educated history on popular characters such as Bozo the Clown, Garfield Goose, Ray Rayner, and more. Not to mention, other classic Television clips and shows were shown like Diver Dan, segments on the Lincoln Park zoo, and scattered clips from The Bozo Show.

I remember watching the premiere of Bozo, Gar and Ray with my mother and father. My parents marveled at the clips of shows that defined their childhoods. I sat transfixed by their reactions, and the masterful performance of the late, great Bob Bell, the definitive Bozo if you ask any Chicagoan. Plus, at that time in my life, I had spent many Chuck E. Cheese tokens on Bozo’s Grand Prize Game. I knew enough to appreciate the nostalgia that wasn’t mine.

The special isn’t available on DVD, and there are barely a handful of clips I can find on the internet. That said, Bozo, Gar and Ray still finds itself inserted in WGN’s holiday lineup sometime during Thanksgiving and Christmas. The ones who fondly remember these indispensable childhood staples know where to find it.

At the end of the day, I’m just grateful Hardrock, Coco and Joe, Suzy Snowflake, and Frosty the Snowman still have their place in the rightful corners of the internet for all generations to enjoy.