Santa Claus Is
Comin' to Town
Three Hallmark ornaments for Rankin/Bass's beloved 1970 stop-motion origin story of Santa Claus — Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle, Fred Astaire as the narrator, Keenan Wynn as the villain who becomes a friend. Nello Williams' Winter Warlock in 2016. Kris Kringle himself in 2017. And a Magic guitar ornament that plays the song that started it all — written in 1934, the most covered Christmas song in history. He's making a list.
The young orphan who becomes Santa Claus — raised by the Kringles, the toy-making elves. Delivers toys, marries Jessica, defeats Burgermeister Meisterburger. The origin of the man with the list.
The icy sorcerer who guards the mountain passage — starts as an obstacle but becomes one of Kris's most loyal friends after Kris gives him a toy and melts his icy heart. "Put One Foot in Front of the Other."
The mailman who narrates the entire story — receiving children's letters asking who Santa Claus really is, and answering with the full origin tale. Fred Astaire in his only Rankin/Bass special.
How Kris Kringle Became Santa Claus — The 1970 Rankin/Bass Origin Story
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town premiered on ABC on December 3, 1970 — the fourth Rankin/Bass Christmas special, following Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), The Little Drummer Boy (1968), and Frosty the Snowman (1969). Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., it used the same stop-motion "Animagic" technique as Rudolph but applied it to an entirely different premise: not a Rankin/Bass original character but an origin story for Santa Claus himself, inspired by the 1934 song. Mickey Rooney voiced young Kris Kringle, Fred Astaire narrated as mailman S.D. Kluger, and Keenan Wynn voiced the Winter Warlock — the icy sorcerer who becomes Kris's friend after Kris gives him a toy and his frozen heart begins to thaw. The special also features Robie Lester as Jessica, the schoolteacher Kris falls in love with.
The song "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934, and first performed on Eddie Cantor's radio show on November 3, 1934 — reportedly generating 30,000 orders for the sheet music within 24 hours. It has been recorded by hundreds of artists: Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (1943), Perry Como (1953), the Jackson 5 (1970), Bruce Springsteen's famous live version (1975, released commercially in 1985). Hallmark's 2017 Magic Guitar ornament plays the song. Press the button and the most covered Christmas song in history plays from a tiny guitar-shaped ornament on the Christmas tree. The same song that sold 30,000 copies of sheet music in 24 hours in 1934, now on the tree in 2017.
"One of the major characters in the movie Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town — he starts out as a villain but eventually becomes a friend of Kris Kringle."
— The Ornament Shop description, 2016 Winter Warlock · Artist: Nello Williams · QXI3174 · 2.15" × 3.25" × 1.55" · Dated 2016❄️ The Winter Warlock — Villain, Then Friend, Then Ornament
The Winter Warlock is the 1970 special's most dramatically interesting character — an icy sorcerer who controls the mountain pass that Kris must cross to reach Sombertown. He is genuinely threatening at first: cold, powerful, isolating. But when Kris gives him a toy train — his first gift, his first act of Christmas kindness — something melts. The Winter Warlock becomes Kris's most loyal friend, giving him magical feed corn for his reindeer and teaching him the lesson that would define the Santa myth: change is possible, one step at a time. "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" — the song he sings after his transformation — is the special's most emotionally direct moment. Nello Williams sculpted his Hallmark portrait in 2016 at 2.15" × 3.25" × 1.55". The villain who became a friend is now on the tree.
The 2017 Magic Guitar — The Song That Started Everything
The QGO1215 Magic Guitar ornament plays "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" — J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie's 1934 composition, the song that the Rankin/Bass special was based on. Press the button and the song plays from the guitar ornament. The same song that sold 30,000 copies of sheet music in 24 hours in 1934. The same song that Bruce Springsteen performed live at a New Jersey concert in 1975 in the most famous version since Bing Crosby's. The same song that has opened countless Christmas morning countdowns for children who needed to know Santa was on his way.
Size: 2.15" × 3.25" × 1.55"
SKU: QXI3174 · Dated 2016
The icy sorcerer who becomes Kris's friend. Keenan Wynn voiced him in 1970. "Put One Foot in Front of the Other."
SKU: QXI2222
The young Kris Kringle who becomes Santa — Mickey Rooney's voice, the toy-maker's son, the man who started the Christmas tradition.
Tips for the Collection
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01Display the Winter Warlock and Kris Kringle together — they are the special's central relationship. The arc of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is essentially the story of how Kris Kringle turns an enemy into a friend — and that friendship is the Winter Warlock's. Display them on adjacent branches where the icy blue-white of the Warlock and the warm red of Kris read as a pair. The villain-becomes-friend story is most meaningful when both figures are visible together.
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02Position the Magic Guitar ornament where guests can press the button easily. The 2017 QGO1215 Magic Guitar plays "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" at the press of a button — position it at an accessible height on an outer branch where visitors can reach it without moving other ornaments. Press it when guests arrive. It is the song that starts the season. Let it.
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03All 3 Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town Hallmark ornaments — 2016 and 2017 — are at Already Christmas. The Winter Warlock. Kris Kringle. The guitar that plays the song. The three pieces that cover the 1970 Rankin/Bass special and its 1934 musical source. He's making a list. He's checking it twice. All three here.
Every Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town Keepsake
The Warlock. Kris Kringle. The guitar. Click to shop.
J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie wrote the song in 1934 — 30,000 copies of sheet music sold in the first 24 hours after Eddie Cantor performed it on his radio show. Rankin/Bass made it a stop-motion origin story of Santa Claus in 1970 — Mickey Rooney as Kris, Fred Astaire narrating, Keenan Wynn as the icy villain who becomes the most faithful friend. Nello Williams sculpted the Winter Warlock for Hallmark in 2016. Kris Kringle arrived in 2017. And the Magic Guitar plays the song when you press the button — the same song, 83 years later, on the tree. He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. All three here.
✦ Part of our Collection: Rankin/Bass Holiday Specials Hallmark Series, Explored ✦