Today's Snowman

Open Call to Snowman Fans Everywhere

2009-04-05T22:32:00.007-04:00

Galdalf the Purple by Edgar Garcia

Today's Snowman has been on sabbatical the past couple of months due to the snowman book being turned into a spectacular TV Christmas special. Along with writing a script and beginning around-the-clock production, I am also working on my next book all while continuing to do television and radio interviews as a snowman expert (today I was on a daytime talk show in Iowa). While I want to apologize for the lack of snowman updates, but in the long run this non-stop work load will mean big times for the snowman in the near future and reach more people on major television so it's all good. The show will be an one hour documentary geared for adults yet humorous and will include interviews, beautiful animation, historic reenactments and celebrity appearances.

In the meantime, I want to ask all my readers if they have any interesting snowman stories or collections or snowman antiques worthy of inclusion of a special to please share it with me. Please send our story and pictures to snowmanexpert@pipeline.com

Special thanks to Edgar Garcia of Bloomfield, NJ for building and photographing the wonderful Galdalf the Purple.

Snowman from the South Pole

2009-03-23T19:45:00.004-04:00

From an old friend and talented artist Michael Bartalos who had a chance to be in Antarctica as part of the Antarctic Artist's and Writer's Program.

And the Winner Is...

2009-02-18T21:12:00.010-05:00

The winner of Today's Snowman snowman contest for February/March is Snowstorm in Toronto! Photo by Hans Havermann of Toronto, Canada. Congratulations! Runner-up was Dancin' Snowmen made by Deborah Villarreal, (principal of the award-winning film studio Screen D'Or Pictures).

Thank you to everyone who entered. (The first place prize is a signed copy of The History of the Snowman and I draw a personalized cartoon in the book.)

Meanwhile, please check out a new exciting feature to the right called SNOWMAN VIDEOS by the scary talent English animator "Celestial Elf." Thank you, Celestial Elf.

New Snowman Contest!

2009-02-14T15:28:00.016-05:00

Well, it's time to parade out the next group of amazing snowmen and it's no surprise that, with the recent snow storms in Great Britain, this round is dominated by English snowmen. Tell your friends, call the family, woke up the dog...it's time to vote for the next snowman of the month. Vote by clicking on your snowman on the poll on the right of this post. Without further ado...

1) Snow Shaman Created by Minnesota sculptor Patty Carmody Smith a Today's Snowman favorite.

2) Watching the BBC From Nick Thomas of Birmingham, England. From the two cups, obviously there was a second snowman that got up from the show.

3) Snowman Drawing This beautiful drawing was made by a beautiful little girl named Allie from Sutton, Massuschusetts.

4) Spotted on Rt. 280 "I was driving home on an snowy day in January from Jersey City to West Orange, NJ." From Diane Letulle who runs the amazing popular blog Wine Lover's Journal. How did that snowman emerge on the island between lanes of highway traffic?

5) Snowstorm in Toronto this lovely photo and snowman is by Hans Havermann of Toronto, Canada.

6) English Broad Phil Stylianou & James Drury of Herts, UK made this naughty creation...and yes, that is product placement. (Black bar added by the uptight editors of Today's Snowman.)

7) Lockport Snowman I'll let Jason tell the back story to this snowman; "We had just got done with a tackle football game and decided we were going to build the biggest snowman we could. The weather was just perfect for rolling up some snow. We started with 4 base balls that were each 5 feet tall. The town we built this in was Lockport, NY."

8) DISQUALIFIED for Cheating–Snowboy Guarding Van

9) Dancin' Snowmen was made by Deborah Villarreal, principal of the award-winning film studio Screen D'Or Pictures who writes, "It was an enchanted snow fall in Montclair, NJ. I started building your regular '3 rounds' snowman when these 2 emerged!"

10) Vintage SnowWoman Submitted by Debbie Kogan of Soquel, California; "My husband David...found this snow-woman made by his Aunt Lucille (an artist, now deceased). The photo was taken in the early 1940’s we think."

And the Winner Is...

2009-02-12T09:16:00.006-05:00

The first winner of Today's Snowman snowman contest of 2009 is Lisa Love! Made by a girl from Long Island named Sweets, this is her first professional victory in snowman-making competition. Congratulations! Runner-up was the beautiful The Perry Family Snowmen from Somyr Perry of San Diego.
Thank you to everyone who entered. We will start the next contest by tonight and you'll want to see this next group of amazing snowmen. The first place prize will a signed copy of The History of the Snowman (and I draw a personalized cartoon in the book).

LAST DAY TO VOTE and from England; Another Snowman

2009-02-09T12:02:00.003-05:00

ENGLAND – Over in Great Britain there has been the most snow they have had in over twenty years. As a result, I've been busy speaking over there on a regular basis as a snowman expert. Just last night I was woken by a call in the wee hours by the BBC to discuss snowmen. I went from a dead sleep to being live on the air!

In other news, Today's Snowman monthly snowman contest is about to end and we have already begun the receive beautiful entries for the next contest. If you would like to enter please send your snowman in within the next three days. So vote and email me your snowmen! Thanks!

Snowman Contest 2009

2009-02-07T21:29:00.000-05:00

Finally, the entries for the first snowman contest in 2009. It's time to vote! Get your friends, call the family, wake-up the dog, nudge grandma, log-in to Facebook, sign-up for MySpace. It's here–Election 2009! It's free! It's fun! There's prizes!

Without further ado...

1) "March of the Snow People" Yes, that's Napa, California and this first entry is from two great artists, Dana and Ingrid. A vote for them is a vote...for them.

2) "Lisa Love" by Sweets, a sweet girl from Long Island who is a newcomer in snowman-making competition but is expecting to make a big impression with her first very strong entry here. Good luck, Sweets!

3) "Sno Ho" is by the noted photographer Barry Doyle of Open Salon (his work can be enjoyed here. It's very good.). This family photo from Lake Tahoe is not so innocent when one takes a closer look at the anatomically correct female snowman and daughter Tory pointing this out. A vote for Sho Ho is a vote for family snow porn.

4) "The Perry Family Snowmen" from Somyr Perry of San Diego is also from Open Salon. She went to the Rocky Mountains of the Salt Lake Valley to shot these snowmen "built by toddler and husband, and accessorized with rock eyes, radish noses, stick arms and newspaper hats, by me. May they stand tall in my parent's backyard all winter as a reminder of our most awesome Christmas...thanks for the inspiration, Mr. Eckstein." It sounds like they are taking this competition quite seriously. Throw them some support!

5) "Christmas Present" was sculptor's Patty Carmody Smith's beautiful Christmas gift for her husband. "The experience was fun and really got me thinking about the symbolism of the snowman. For me I see a lot of the archetypal father figure."

6) "Picasso Snowmen (or Snowmen At the Hair-Dressers)" by artist Dan Picasso. Wow. I love Devo! (and check out his cool website!)

7) "Alabama Snowman" Okay, I'll admit there's not much here but this was made in A-L-A-B-A-M-A and wait until you hear this heart-breaking story from Pat who sent in this entry; "This snowman was created out of very little (not much snow generally falls in central Alabama) but these 2 kids went about getting all they could gather up and made this little guy. He later appeared on the town's calendar for December...They made the snowman under the branches of several large pecan trees, and used pecans for eyes and buttons, and twigs for arms; his nose is a standard peeled baby carrot. It was their first snowman ever, and probably their last until they have kids of their own to build one with." I don't know about you but I'm crying my eyes out here.

8) "Steve & Kris' Snowman" This final entry is from eastern Oregon and these people mean business. Kris explains their snowman is going for that pushcart peddler look. I think they nailed it! Good luck!

The voting poll is in the top of the column on the right under "Snowman Contest" in the middle of the blog....just click on your favorite snowman. One vote per computer. A signed copy of The History of the Snowman, snowman posters, mugs are among the possible prizes.

Snowman Sighting

2009-02-06T21:19:00.002-05:00

As seen in Gawker.com

The Snowman Expert is now on call around the clock 24 hours for all your snowman needs and inquiries on Twitter under the address; snowmanexpert
Included is Today's Snowman Index and irrelevant musings that mean little.

A Peek at My Snowman Collection & A Story

2009-01-27T17:26:00.007-05:00

This is a small portion of my collection.

There are two more weeks to vote. Winner will receive a signed copy of The History of the Snowman.

From The New York Times Metro Diary section yesterday;

Dear Diary:

Walking down East 87th Street a day after the first snowstorm of the year, I noticed a small but charming snowman near the curb, apparently recently completed by neighborhood children. It had all the expected features — pennies for eyes, carrot nose, straw hat.

What caught my attention was a particularly New York City detail: a small sign placed in front of the creation that read “Please curb your dog.”

Nina Sumers Myers

Snowman on Craig's List

2009-01-19T11:42:00.002-05:00

Special thanks to Lisa for this submission.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T09:45:00.002-05:00

Have a great holidays everyone!

(sorry, they haven't been more posts of late. But I'm digging through all the snowman entries for the next snowman contest and hope to post them between Christmas and New Year's. I still have not returned home from the start of the month due to working on the promotion of The History of the Snowman...Sunday I did a snowman editorial for The New York Post...Today I'm the cover story for Electric City...Christmas, I will be on Good Morning America...Today I did the Op-Ed for The Daily News...Sunday I have a big piece in The New York Times sports section.)

Please Come Out to Meet Me in Brattleboro, VT!

2008-12-12T11:44:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to the Emmy-award winning producer Trevor Crafts, head of FullMind Creative

I'm be in Brattleboro, Vermont Friday giving a snowman presentation. Hope to see you there!
December 12th, Friday;
7 pm SNOWMAN PRESENTATION & SIGNING Brooks Memorial Library 224 Main Street Brattleboro, Vermont (802-251-8195)

Also, please check out the new People magazine. I'm on pg. 60!

As primer there's a cool interview I did with the Authoring Auctioneer.
Or listen to this fun radio spot on WKBK in New Hampshire.

For those interested in signed copies of The History of the Snowman please visit the great bookstore Morningside Books @ Broadway & 114th St.
In the Schenectady Area? The beautiful Open Door bookstore not only has signed copies but the snowman mugs. Click link for hours & directions.

Finally, I wanted to thank everyone writing me compliments on the book.
THANKS!
Plus I wanted to explain to those who wrote me and thought the reviews on the right and below here were funny and thought I was joking that actually the quotes are real;

"Very entertaining!"
– Monty Python's Michael Palin

"Brilliant!"
– Joe Jesselli, Smoking Gun.com

"Best Book of the Season"
– Amazon.com

Snowman Cartoon Wrongly Accused of Nazi Propaganda

2008-12-10T18:14:00.005-05:00

Hans was sent to Siberia for three years making this film accused of Nazi propaganda even though the Russians hadn't seen the film. The basis was that it was proving the Germans could do a better snowman cartoon than Walt Disney.

Ask The Snowman Expert

2008-11-30T12:15:00.006-05:00

Today's Snowman has received a few entries for the new snowman contest and some Ask The Snowman Expert questions. First a couple of questions;

Where exactly in St Paul was that giant snowman?
– Beth from Minneapolis, MN

Dear Beth,
The World's Largest Stucco snowman is located on Highway 36 and Margaret Street in North St. Paul, Minnesota. Built out of concrete stucco in 1974, the business The North St. Paul Jaycees used to build a snowman each winter to celebrate Sno-Daze. They were built on the northeast corner of the same intersection. Apparently after a couple of lean snowfall winters they decided to build a permanent icon for the city. The "Stucco man" used to stand it on the southeast corner of 7th Ave. and Margaret St., downtown area. It was later moved to the current site so more people would see the 54-ft. tall snowman.
– Snowman Expert

Do you know if there is a record for the most snowmen made at one time, or something similar to that? Some friends and I think it would be a fun one to try going after. Any help would be great! Thanks a bunch.
– Ty Patterson

The world record for most snowmen made at one time was 12,379 snowmen in 2003 in Sapporo, Japan. At the time the town had more snowmen than humans. Each snowman had a real candle planted it's in their tummies.
– Snowman Expert

There is no such thing as stupid answers, only stupid questions. Want to know who was the first snowman in space? What's a good name for snowmen? Boxers or briefs? So go ahead and ask the snowman expert.

Talking Snowmen

2008-11-29T18:28:00.003-05:00

Bob is going to be on the radio talking about snowmen on 810AM Sunday at 9:15am (News Talk Radio WGY) in the upstate New York area (I kid you not).

Snowman Expert Interviwed by Mr. Media on Radio

2008-11-20T21:56:00.005-05:00

Open in your default player

Detach into a separate window

Well, here's the interview...it's all about snowmen and my new snowman book...I was dealing with a bad cold and cough so I may sound a bit funny...but, anyhoo, Mr. Media is very cool and I suggest you visit his site and check out his list of celebrity guests he's interviewed. I've been going through his archives all week listening to the Chris Farley story, getting to know Robert Schimmel and learning alot about the business.

Snowman on Broadway (kind of)

2008-11-14T20:13:00.007-05:00

ATLANTA, GA – There's no business like snow business. Playing now in the Center for Puppetry Art’s Downstairs Theater; Sam the Lovesick Snowman, the classic story of snowboy meets stove, snowboy falls in love with stove, stove kills him "...well, thankfully not!" (I'm told)

Actually, it's based on The Snow Man, by Hans Christian Andersen and it's hilarious, heartwarming and perfect for kids (I actually out Andersen in my book).

Showtimes are as follows:
Nov 18-26, 2008: Tues-Fri @ 10:30am & 12pm; Sat @ 11am, 1pm & 3pm; Sun @ 1pm & 3pm.
Nov 28-30, 2008: Fri & Sat @ 11am, 1pm & 3pm; Sun @ 1pm & 3pm.
Dec 2-7, 2008: Tues-Fri @ 10:30am & 12pm; Sat @ 11am, 1pm & 3pm; Sun @ 1pm & 3pm.
Dec 9-21, 2008: Tues-Fri @ 10am & 11:30am; Sat @ 11am, 1pm & 3pm; Sun @ 1pm & 3pm.
Dec 23, 2008 – Jan 4, 2009: Tues-Fri @ 10am, 12pm & 2pm; Sat @ 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Sun @ 1pm & 3pm.
Closed: Nov 27, 2008; December 25, 2008; January 1, 2009.

Tickets for patrons ages 2 and older are $14.82 + tax for the general public (the ticket price includes a performance, the Create-A-Puppet Workshop, and admission into the permanent Museum exhibit Puppets: The Power of Wonder and special exhibits including the brand new Jim Henson: Wonders from His Workshop). Order your tickets “FEE-FREE” online at www.puppet.org or call the Ticket Sales Office at 404.873.3391. The Ticket Sales Office is open Monday through Saturday from 9am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 5pm, with extended hours during evening performances. The Center is located in Midtown Atlanta, across the bridge from Atlantic Station, is accessible from MARTA, and has limited free parking.

Where's My Today's Snowman?

2008-11-10T10:10:00.004-05:00

Another Book Shipment Sighted!

2008-11-02T10:18:00.007-05:00

PLOWVILLE, PA – Thanks to snowman fan Lester Freudlick of Collegeville, PA for sending Today's Snowman this snowman book delivery sighting on Route 463 in Plowville. Shipping of the new edition of The History of the Snowman to stores to most designations began this week.

It's a Sign!

2008-10-30T09:26:00.002-04:00

If you don't mind political slanted stuff then you may want to hop over to my Freelancer's Lament for a moment as there's been more activity there with the economy and election and all. Meanwhile here there will be an explosive of news in the next couple of days that I've returned from my trip and the snowman books are out and a book tour cemented.

Snowman Mugs Are Here!

2008-10-17T01:38:00.006-04:00

Cooler History of the Snowman mugs you won't will find anywhere. Each ceramic mug lists the unique chapters of the book (in case you have nothing else to read) and the pictures of 27 colorful snowmen printed around the mug. The total cost of each mug, with shipping and handling, is $15 (Canada, $17) with payment by check or PayPal. The mugs will also be sold at upcoming book events (for $10) which begin in early December (dates & locations to be posted here soon). To order just email me here.

Pierre the Snowman for '08

2008-09-21T20:40:00.001-04:00

The Phoenix Coyotes mascot has produced another campaign video.

Snowman Collection Continues

2008-09-16T14:39:00.003-04:00

This 2" x 3" trading card from turn of the century is actually actually based on one of the earliest book illustrations of a snowman. Trading cards were (generally) in circulation before postcards and magazine ads and were on left counters of stores as sort of a business card. Collecting them atthe time was a popular pastime.

Brimfield Residue

2008-09-12T11:44:00.004-04:00

That would be Brimfield, Massachusetts, home of the largest flea market.

A detail from a large 4-foot long painted saw.

Brimfield – my pretty goofy set-up where I signed copies of my book. (Can't complain. It went very well and I ran out of books very early.)

Special thanks to WorthPoint, a website for collectors and antique experts, who came and chatted with me and video-taped a brief discussion on my snowman collection and my insights. I'm sure I could learn alot from them but since we're on the subject I'll just touch on the subject before I go in-depth in a later post.

The way I see it, there's really two divisions of snowman collecting; kitsch, which makes up 35% of all church sales and then there's collectibles like Christmas ornaments from the '50s and earlier and paper goods (like old book illustrations dating back to 1790's, postcards from turn of the century and trading cards from the 1880's and such). Of course there thousands of other materials to find a snowman on but it's case by case as to whether the item would enhance your collection. The world's largest collection is in Germany and made up of about 11,000 items. But my smaller collection of 800 is far more historical and interesting because of the much better kitsch-to-collectible ratio. Anyone can amass a large snowman collection strolling through any flea market on a given Sunday morning. More interesting is finding examples of the snowman in less common scenes (eg. a HTL, hold-to-light postcard of Santa Claus driving an automobile and running over a snowman) or depicted in a more serious way (no Frostys). In other words showing the snowman more as a form of folk-art and less a salesman for clothes or toys (unless the product is something unusual, like this asbestos ad). Some good examples from my own collection can be seen on top of my writing blog. Happy searching and please feel free to ask me any questions as I am a certified snowman expert.

104 Shopping Days Left For Christmas

2008-09-10T14:23:00.003-04:00

NEW YORK, NY – Well, it won't be long now. To hold us over until we start seeing some snow on the ground, I will begin posting my illustrious snowman collection! First up at the plate is a snowman soap from England (I have about 8 soap items in my snowman collection).

Bit of book news...The History of the Snowman will be re-released in November in a revised, updated version.