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A snowman is a man-like sculpture made of snow. Snowmen are usually constructed by children, however, many adults participate in making snowmen.

Contents 1 History 2 Construction 3 In fiction 4 World's largest snowman 5 Examples of snowmen 6 Other snow sculptures 7 References 8 External links 9 See also

In occidental cultures and the northern hemisphere, snowmen are considered a symbol of Christmas^{[citation needed]} and winter for many, and they often appear on Christmas cards.

This activity dates back to at least the Middle Ages, when in Europe every new snowfall would have townsfolk making snowmen on the streets. This according to old diaries and chronicles

It is nearly impossible to build a snowman out of any type of snow other than packing snow. Packing snow is formed when regular powder snow comes near its melting point and becomes moist and compactible. This allows for the construction of large balls of snow by simply rolling a ball of snow until it grows the desired size. Attempting to make a snowman out of powdered snow is extremely difficult since it will not stick to itself. And if packing snow is not rolled into snowballs before it freezes, it will form an unusable denser form of powdered snow called crust. Thus the best time to build a snowman is usually in the next warmest afternoon directly following a snowfall with a sufficient amount of snow.

The common trend is to then dress the snowman, usually with rocks, wood sticks, and vegetables. Carrots are often used for the nose, as are coal for eyes. Some like to dress their snowmen in clothing (scarves, jackets, hats). Dressing a snowman in clothing insulates the snowman by keeping out the heat, which means a longer life for the snowman. However, some may prefer not to risk leaving supplies out doors where they could easily be stolen if someone were so maliciously inclined. Also, snowmen usually melt quite quickly on a hot day, which could cause clothing to become stuck under melting ice if not removed promptly.

There are variations to these standard forms. These other types range from snow columns to elaborate snow sculptures (similar to ice sculptures).

• Bouli, a French animated series about a snowman's adventures in a magical place.
• Der Schneemann, a 1943 animated short film created in Germany.
• Jack Frost (1998 film) a movie with Michael Keaton in which he wakes up as a snowman after a car accident.
• Jack Frost (1996 film) a horror movie in which a serial killer is transformed into a snowman.
• Rave Master a Japanese manga in which Plue, the hero's companion, resembles a small snowman.
• The Snowman British picture book (1978) by Raymond Briggs and animation (1982) directed by Dianne Jackson about a boy who builds a snowman that comes alive and takes him to the North Pole.
• Frosty, the eponymous snowman in the popular children's song Frosty the Snowman, had a corncob pipe, a button nose, and two eyes made out of coal.
• Calvin and Hobbes, an American cartoon by Bill Watterson, contains many instances of Calvin building snowmen, many of which are deformed or otherwise abnormal.
• Steven Millhauser in one of his collections of short stories, called in the penny arcade wrote a short story called snowmen in which children makes snowmen which are more and more elaborated.

The record for the world's largest snowman was set in February 1999 in Bethel, Maine. The snowman was named "Angus, King of the Mountain" in honor of the then current governor of Maine, Angus King. It was 113 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed over 9,000,000 pounds.^[1]

Snow sculptures can be made to resemble animals or other structures, but only a snow sculpture that resembled a man would be called a snowman.

A snow rabbit

• Bob Eckstein, The History of the Snowman: From the Ice Age to the Flea Market (2007)

• Today's Snowman

• Böögg