About This Quiz
Popcorn? Check. Footed pajamas? Check. Hot chocolate and Christmas specials on TV? Check and CHECK! Listen, we love the Christmas season. There's nothing better than slightly colder (but not too cold, please!) temperatures, a fire in the fireplace, and snacks while everyone piles on the couch to watch the best holiday shows on TV.
Christmas classics made specifically for television have been going on for a long time. It was 1964 when we first met "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Just a year later, we got "A Charlie Brown Christmas." "Mickey's Christmas Carol" came along in the early 1980s, and we've gotten new classics along the way: "Shrek The Halls," "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" and, one of the newest editions, "Trolls Holiday." We'd dare say that the holiday season isn't complete without checking out a few, as time permits between caroling, ice skating and wrapping gifts.
But how well does your memory serve you regarding these Christmas classics? Who exactly "stole Christmas?" What kind of Christmas did Emmet Otter have? Who was the "Other Reindeer?" And, did anybody finally convince Virginia that there is, in fact, a Santa Claus?Â
This quiz is a veritable walk down Candy Cane Lane, with a holiday "must-watch" list that will surely add to your own. Can you identify these Christmas TV features? Pair the screenshot and a short clue with the title and be prepared to have a "Berry Merry Christmas!"
"Frosty the Snowman," which first aired in 1969, created an animated version of the beloved Christmas song where children bring a snowman to life with a magic cap but must learn to let go when the weather heats up.
Even Mr. Magoo got in the act with the retelling of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." It aired for the first time in 1962 and has the honor of being the first animated Christmas special produced specifically for television.
You better not pout, you better not cry if you got the answer to this one wrong! "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" became a television special in 1970, based on the popular Christmas tune. The special itself used technology known at the time as stop motion animation.
Advertisement
"A Chipmunk Christmas" first aired on television in 1981, nearly a decade after the death of the man who created the characters. In the story, Alvin is chasing his elusive Golden Echo harmonica, which he finally gets thanks to a mysterious stranger.
"A Garfield Christmas" stars the lasagna-loving Garfield and Odie as they spend Christmas with the Arbuckles on the family farm. This holiday special earned an Emmy and was shown nearly every year from its first broadcast in 1987 to its last in 2000.
"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is both a popular children's Christmas song and a TV special by the same name. The program aired for the first time not at Christmas, but on October 31, at Halloween.
Advertisement
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" may be the most recognizable, quintessential Christmastime TV special ever made. Of course, any movie about a reindeer with a glowing nose who saves Christmas is bound to draw a lot of interest.
All is going as planned for Santa's arrival until Minty breaks the beacon known as "Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane," which guides Santa's way to Ponyville. This special was named "My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas."
"Merry Madagascar" falls between the initial "Madagascar" movie and its sequel, but gets the gang back together as they attempt to fly into New York City. The only problem is, they're mistaken for a goblin, and hilarity ensues.
Advertisement
"The Year Without a Santa Claus" was based on a book of the same name and first aired in 1974. Mrs. Claus has to recruit two elves to help her convince Santa to return to his regular duties instead of taking the year off.
Admit it; if you could turn everyone around you into jerks, you might do it, too. In this special, Plankton tries to entice SpongeBob to feed everyone "jerktonium-laced fruitcake," which we're guessing is no better than regular fruitcake.
Scooby-Doo and the gang are on the case of a living snowman wreaking havoc on the holidays in "Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays." This special appeared on DVD first, later turning up on Cartoon Network.
Advertisement
"Pinocchio's Christmas" first aired on television during the 1980 holiday season and is still shown today on some channels. It chronicles Pinocchio's first Christmas as a real boy with Geppetto.
Frosty finally returns in the special named "Frosty's Winter Wonderland." The famous promise comes in the Christmas tune, "Frosty the Snowman." This TV special follows Frosty when he returns to see his friends with the first snowfall of the season.
It took a bunch of "Peanuts" to get to the real meaning of the Christmas season, and it's a story that has been resonating with audiences for years. It first aired in 1965 and has been a yearly tradition ever since.
Advertisement
The Berenstain Bears are desperate to track down a Christmas tree in "The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree," but run into problems at every turn. That is until some woodland friends pitch in to help out.
In "Rudolph's Shiny New Year," Rudolph sets off to find Happy the Baby New Year to help the New Year come. Without Rudolph's help, it will remain December 31 forever. The sequel came a dozen years after the popular, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
"The Little Drummer Boy" tells the story of Aaron, who likes to entertain his animal friends with his drum-playing. This is another Christmas special originally rooted in a song of the same name.
Advertisement
If you were a child of the 1980s, you lived through that magical period when He-Man and She-Ra were a thing. Thankfully, you can relive it with their very own Christmas special, shown periodically during the holiday season.
"Kung Fu Panda Holiday" followed up on the success of the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise, which involved voice work from the likes of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie. The holiday story centers on the Winter Feast at Jade Palace.
Everyone's favorite giant green ogre is back for a Christmas special in "Shrek the Halls." In this made-for-TV classic, Shrek struggles with how to make the holidays special for Fiona.
Advertisement
"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" first aired in 1977, a Christmas TV special based on the popular Christmas poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," authored by Clement Clarke Moore. Only one airing of the program was ever done.
Apparently, the groundhog is a rather sleepy sort. "Jack Frost" tells the story of the groundhog getting a winter extension to eke out a few more weeks of nap time. Freeform shows this 1979 original just about every year.
"Pinky and the Brain" was a television series that ran from 1995 to 1998. In the show's first season, producers developed "A Pinky and the Brain Christmas," where, of course, the duo continue their plan to try to take over the world.
Advertisement
Boris Karloff was the iconic voice behind both the Grinch in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the narrator. The animated version of this story has been told multiple times in various ways, but this version is a perennial classic.
When "Toy Story That Time Forgot" was released in 2014, we had no idea it would be five years before our next adventure with Buzz and Woody. This 22-minute special featured many of the franchise's original voices, including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
The popularity of the Muppet-based "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" appears to grow each year, despite being more than 40 years old now. The storyline follows a similar one to O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi."
Advertisement
"A Christmas Carol" has been done in many ways by many actors, but the 1999 version featuring Patrick Stewart nears the top of our list. Stewart plays Ebenezer Scrooge, who goes through a complete change in opinion about the holiday season and his miserly ways.
You know that part in "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," when it says, "all of the other reindeer?" This book is based on that lyric, misheard to be "Olive, the Other Reindeer." So, meet Olive!
The fantastically-named "Babes in Toyland" was a Christmas season staple on television between 1950 and 1986. It tells the story of a child who is transported to Toyland in her holiday dreams.
Advertisement
"Trolls Holiday" finds the cast of the successful "Trolls" franchise getting together for a made-for-TV holiday special. Together, Poppy, Branch and Bridget work to bring the holidays back to the Bergens.
"A Goof Troop Christmas: Have Yourself a Goofy Little Christmas" follows Goofy and Max as they attempt to decorate for the holiday season. True to Goofy's nature, nothing goes as planned.
Poor Addie; all she wants is a Christmas tree. But her father, still mourning the loss of his wife, refuses. As the movie progresses, he learns to embrace the season and even springs for a tree!
Advertisement
"Prep & Landing" doesn't immediately sound like a Christmas special, until you realize it's elves "prepping" homes for Santa Claus' imminent "landing." In this movie, a lack of effort almost costs a young boy Christmas altogether.
As you might have guessed, "Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special" centers on Donald Duck and his challenge of wanting to have a real Christmas versus needing to fly south to avoid the cold weather.
It's hard to believe that a newspaper editorial could give birth to a popular Christmas special. "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" was not only an answer to a question asked by eight-year-old Virginia but became an animated short that won an Emmy Award.
Advertisement
If you grew up in the 1980s, you surely remember Strawberry Shortcake. This Christmas special, released in 2003, is a nostalgic trip down memory lane with "Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Merry Christmas."
Lucy and Linus' lesser-known brother, Rerun van Pelt, just wants one thing for Christmas — a furry friend. "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown" aired for the first time in 2003, but has not enjoyed the same success as "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
"Amahl and the Night Visitors" is a Christmas opera about the Three Wise Men told from the perspective of a young boy named Amahl. It aired multiple times on NBC from the 1950s to the 1970s and holds the title of being the first opera written specifically for television.
Advertisement
"Casper's First Christmas" finds Casper and a friend looking for a new place to live during the Christmas season. Airing in 1979, this TV special is the only time you'll find Casper and another character, Yogi Bear, sharing the same screen.