The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus<\/em> was the end of an era for the Rankin\/Bass Studio. It would be the last holiday special produced using their special brand of stop-motion animation, which they dubbed \u201cAnimagic.\u201d<\/p>\n This December marks the fortieth anniversary of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus<\/em>, which makes it the perfect time to revisit this Rankin\/Bass special \u2013 and thank you to reader Nik Kramer for suggesting it!<\/p>\n Based on a 1902 book by none other than author L. Frank Baum, well-known for creating the beloved Oz books, who crafted an intricate origin story for Santa in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus<\/em>.<\/p>\n With so much detail in the book, writer Julian P. Gardner (a pseudonym for Jules Bass, who also wrote the lyrics for the songs) had to truncate the story when adapting it for the one-hour special. As it opens, Tingler the Imp (Robert McFadden), a character created for the special, informs the Supreme Immortal, The Great Ak (Alfred Drake), that the Immortals of the world are coming to the magical Forest of Burzee for the meeting that The Great Ak called.<\/p>\n Sixty years prior, a baby was found by Ak and placed into the care of the lioness Shiegra and eventually adopted by Necile, the wood nymph (Lesley Miller), who names him Claus, a name used in the forest for little one.<\/p>\n When he grows into a young man, Ak takes Claus to visit the mortal world, where they are invisible but can observe. Here, Claus is shocked by people\u2019s cruelty and the suffering it causes others.<\/p>\n He questions Ak about mortals and is told they\u2019re here to make the world better than they found it, which becomes Claus\u2019 purpose. He determines that he must live among the mortals, leaves the forest, and sets up a home and workshop in the \u201cLaughing Valley of Hohaho.\u201d<\/p>\n He rescues an orphan child, Weekum (Joey Grasso), for whom he makes his first toy, a wooden cat. This leads to making toys for other children in the village.<\/p>\n Claus defiantly decides to continue his toy-making, and the Awgwas attempt to kidnap and capture him, but he receives aid from the forest creatures, the Knooks. While deliveries, the invisible Awgwas constantly ambush him and steal the toys.<\/p>\n Claus decides to try delivering the toys at night, is ambushed again, and is saved by Shiegra. After this, Ak meets with the Awgwas, warning them not to harm Claus, and war is declared. A battle follows between the Immortals and the Awgwas, in which the Awgwas are defeated, and Claus is free to deliver his toys.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cartoonresearch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Life-Adventures-Santa-Baum-book.jpg\")
<\/a>This comforting style was, of course, responsible for such beloved TV favorites as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer<\/em> (1964) and Santa Claus is Comin\u2019 to Town<\/em> (1970), and with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus<\/em>, that age so familiar to generations came to a close.<\/p>\n<\/a>At the meeting, The Great Ak informs the Immortals that Santa Claus, a mortal who has shown the world great kindness, is on his last Christmas Eve travels and will, sadly, face death after. It is proposed to the others, by The Great Ak, that Santa be made an Immortal, and to convince the group, he tells the story of how Santa came to be.<\/p>\n<\/a>One day, a note tied around a rock is thrown through his window. The threatening note reads: \u201cMr. Claus, if you make another toy, we are coming for you. Signed King Awgwa.\u201d The Awgwas, who can make themselves invisible, are ugly, troll-like creatures who influence children to do bad things.<\/p>\n