Holiday cartoons taught me that a sad little tree needs jazz, snowmen require vigilant hat security, and every town contains at least one person trying to cancel Christmas. These 120 questions cover classic television specials, animated movies, songs, voice casts, and wonderfully specific plot details.
Charlie Brown, the Grinch & Classic Christmas Cartoons
Q: In what year did A Charlie Brown Christmas first air?
A: 1965.
Q: Which television network first broadcast A Charlie Brown Christmas?
A: CBS.
Q: Who created the Peanuts characters?
A: Charles M. Schulz.
Q: Who directed A Charlie Brown Christmas?
A: Bill Melendez.
Q: Who produced the special with Bill Melendez?
A: Lee Mendelson.
Q: Who composed the jazz score for A Charlie Brown Christmas?
A: Vince Guaraldi.
Q: Which song plays over the opening skating scene?
A: Christmas Time Is Here.
Q: What troubles Charlie Brown at the start of the special?
A: He feels depressed despite the cheerful Christmas season.
Q: What job does Lucy give Charlie Brown?
A: Director of the group’s Christmas play.
Q: What does Lucy want Charlie Brown to buy for the play?
A: A large shiny aluminum Christmas tree.
Q: What kind of tree does Charlie Brown choose instead?
A: A small, sparse real tree.
Q: Who accompanies Charlie Brown to the tree lot?
A: Linus.
Q: What contest is announced at the aluminum-tree lot?
A: A display promoting modern aluminum Christmas trees, including one requested in pink.
Q: What happens when Charlie Brown places an ornament on his tree?
A: Its thin branch bends and the tree appears to collapse.
Q: Who explains the meaning of Christmas on the school stage?
A: Linus.
Q: From which Gospel does Linus recite the Nativity story?
A: The Gospel of Luke.
Q: What does Linus briefly set down during his speech?
A: His security blanket.
Q: Which words coincide with Linus dropping his blanket?
A: “Fear not,” as he quotes the angel’s message.
Q: How do the Peanuts children transform Charlie Brown’s tree?
A: They decorate it with ornaments and lights from Snoopy’s doghouse.
Q: What does the group sing at the end?
A: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
Q: What prize does Snoopy win for decorating his doghouse?
A: First prize in the neighborhood lights and display contest.
Q: Who voices Charlie Brown in the 1965 special?
A: Peter Robbins.
Q: Who voices Linus?
A: Christopher Shea.
Q: Who voices Lucy?
A: Tracy Stratford.
Q: Why did the special’s use of child actors sound unusual for television animation?
A: Most of the children were voiced by real children rather than adults imitating them.
Q: What production choice worried executives before broadcast?
A: The religious passage, jazz score, slow pace, and absence of a laugh track all seemed unconventional.
Q: Which Dr. Seuss character tries to stop Christmas in Whoville?
A: The Grinch.
Q: In what year did How the Grinch Stole Christmas! first air as an animated special?
A: 1966.
Q: Who directed the 1966 Grinch special?
A: Chuck Jones.
Q: Who narrates the Grinch special and voices the Grinch?
A: Boris Karloff.
Frosty, Rankin/Bass & Stop-Motion Holiday Specials
Q: Who sings You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch in the 1966 special?
A: Thurl Ravenscroft.
Q: Why was Thurl Ravenscroft’s contribution often misunderstood?
A: His name was omitted from the original closing credits, so some viewers assumed Boris Karloff sang it.
Q: What is the Grinch’s dog named?
A: Max.
Q: What does the Grinch place on Max’s head?
A: A single antler tied in place to imitate a reindeer.
Q: What happens to the Grinch’s heart at the end?
A: It grows three sizes.
Q: Who catches the Grinch taking the Christmas tree?
A: Cindy-Lou Who.
Q: What excuse does the Grinch give Cindy-Lou?
A: He claims a light is broken and he is taking the tree to his workshop.
Q: What finally changes the Grinch’s mind?
A: The Whos sing together despite losing their presents and decorations.
Q: In what year did Frosty the Snowman first air?
A: 1969.
Q: Which studio produced Frosty the Snowman?
A: Rankin/Bass Productions.
Q: Who narrates Frosty the Snowman?
A: Jimmy Durante.
Q: What brings Frosty to life?
A: Professor Hinkle’s discarded magic top hat.
Q: What are Frosty’s first words after coming alive?
A: “Happy birthday!”
Q: Who is the main child who helps Frosty?
A: Karen.
Q: Why must Frosty travel north?
A: Warm weather will melt him.
Q: What transportation do Frosty and Karen board?
A: A refrigerated freight train.
Q: Who pursues Frosty to recover the hat?
A: Professor Hinkle.
Q: Where does Professor Hinkle trap Frosty?
A: Inside a greenhouse.
Q: What happens when Santa opens the greenhouse door?
A: Frosty has melted into a puddle.
Q: How does Santa restore Frosty?
A: A magical Christmas snow revives him when the hat is returned.
Q: What does Santa require Professor Hinkle to do?
A: Write an apology repeatedly before receiving a Christmas gift.
Q: What 1974 Rankin/Bass special features Heat Miser and Snow Miser?
A: The Year Without a Santa Claus.
Q: Who thinks he is too sick and discouraged to make his Christmas trip?
A: Santa Claus.
Q: Which two elves investigate whether people still care about Christmas?
A: Jingle and Jangle.
Q: What young reindeer travels with Jingle and Jangle?
A: Vixen.
Q: Who rules hot weather in the special?
A: Heat Miser.
Q: Who controls snow and cold?
A: Snow Miser.
Q: Who is the mother of Heat Miser and Snow Miser?
A: Mother Nature.
Q: What town requests snow as part of Mrs. Claus’s plan?
A: Southtown, USA.
Q: Which song is associated with Heat Miser’s introduction?
A: The Heat Miser Song, paired with Snow Miser’s matching number.
Disney, Mickey, Peanuts & Animated Christmas Movies
Q: Which 1983 Disney short casts Mickey as Bob Cratchit?
A: Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
Q: Which Disney character plays Ebenezer Scrooge?
A: Scrooge McDuck.
Q: Who plays Jacob Marley in Mickey’s Christmas Carol?
A: Goofy.
Q: Which character plays the Ghost of Christmas Past?
A: Jiminy Cricket.
Q: Which character plays the Ghost of Christmas Present?
A: Willie the Giant.
Q: Which character plays the Ghost of Christmas Future?
A: Pete, appearing as a large hooded figure.
Q: What was notable about Mickey Mouse’s role in the 1983 short?
A: It was Mickey’s first new theatrical cartoon appearance in about thirty years.
Q: Which 1999 animated movie follows Mickey and friends through three holiday stories?
A: Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas.
Q: What gifts do Mickey and Minnie buy after secretly selling prized possessions?
A: Mickey buys a chain for Minnie’s watch, while Minnie buys a case for Mickey’s harmonica.
Q: Which O. Henry story inspires Mickey and Minnie’s segment?
A: The Gift of the Magi.
Q: What wish traps Huey, Dewey, and Louie in a repeating Christmas Day?
A: They wish every day could be Christmas.
Q: What lesson do the nephews learn from the repeated day?
A: Christmas loses its joy when they behave selfishly and nothing changes.
Q: Which sequel was released in 2004?
A: Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas.
Q: What animation style distinguishes Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas?
A: Computer-generated animation.
Q: Which 2004 film uses motion capture to take a boy to the North Pole?
A: The Polar Express.
Q: Who directed The Polar Express?
A: Robert Zemeckis.
Q: Who performs several roles in The Polar Express?
A: Tom Hanks.
Q: What word is punched into the Hero Boy’s ticket?
A: Believe, revealed through a sequence of punched letters.
Q: What gift does the boy request from Santa?
A: A silver sleigh bell.
Q: Why can the boy’s parents not hear the sleigh bell?
A: They no longer believe in Santa.
Q: Which 2009 Disney movie uses motion capture for A Christmas Carol?
A: Disney’s A Christmas Carol.
Q: Who voices and performs Scrooge in the 2009 film?
A: Jim Carrey.
Q: Which 2011 animated movie explains how Santa delivers gifts worldwide?
A: Arthur Christmas.
Q: Who is Arthur’s father in Arthur Christmas?
A: The current Santa, Malcolm Claus.
Q: What advanced vehicle delivers most presents in Arthur Christmas?
A: The S-1, a vast high-tech sleigh-shaped craft.
Q: Whose forgotten present drives the plot?
A: Gwen Hines’s bicycle in Cornwall.
Q: Who helps Arthur deliver Gwen’s gift?
A: Grandsanta and the wrapping elf Bryony.
Q: Which 2019 animated film gives Santa an origin involving a postman?
A: Klaus.
Q: What is the postman’s name in Klaus?
A: Jesper Johansen.
Q: Where is Jesper stationed?
A: Smeerensburg, an isolated island town divided by a feud.
Modern TV Episodes, Streaming Specials & Hard Cartoon Trivia
Q: Which 2009 television special follows elite elves preparing homes for Santa?
A: Prep & Landing.
Q: What is the veteran elf in Prep & Landing named?
A: Wayne.
Q: Who becomes Wayne’s enthusiastic new partner?
A: Lanny.
Q: What does the Prep and Landing team do?
A: It prepares each home and landing zone just before Santa arrives.
Q: Which sequel introduces Wayne’s younger brother Noel?
A: Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice.
Q: What Christmas episode introduced The Simpsons as a full television series?
A: Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.
Q: How does Homer obtain the family’s Christmas tree after losing their holiday money?
A: He cuts down a tree from private property and brings it home.
Q: Which dog joins the Simpson family in that episode?
A: Santa’s Little Helper.
Q: What animated comedy features a foul-mouthed Christmas character named Mr. Hankey?
A: South Park.
Q: What is Mr. Hankey?
A: A magical talking piece of Christmas feces, deliberately built as crude satire.
Q: Which SpongeBob special is animated largely in stop motion?
A: It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!
Q: What substance makes Bikini Bottom residents behave badly in that special?
A: Jerktonium-laced fruitcake.
Q: Which character hopes to get everyone placed on Santa’s naughty list?
A: Plankton.
Q: What holiday does SpongeBob introduce to Bikini Bottom in an earlier episode?
A: Christmas.
Q: Which character initially doubts Santa will come underwater?
A: Squidward.
Q: What does Squidward do after seeing SpongeBob’s disappointment?
A: He dresses as Santa and gives away his possessions.
Q: Which animated special follows Arnold helping Mr. Hyunh find his daughter?
A: Hey Arnold!: Arnold’s Christmas.
Q: What historical event separated Mr. Hyunh from his daughter?
A: The fall of Saigon and evacuation during the Vietnam War.
Q: Who secretly helps complete Arnold’s Christmas mission?
A: Helga, who gives up her prized Nancy Spumoni boots.
Q: Which 1987 special shows Garfield trying to find the perfect present for Grandma?
A: A Garfield Christmas Special.
Q: Where do Garfield, Jon, and Odie spend Christmas?
A: On Jon’s family farm.
Q: What gift does Odie secretly make for Garfield?
A: A homemade back scratcher.
Q: Which British animated short follows a boy and a flying snowman?
A: The Snowman.
Q: Who wrote the picture book behind The Snowman?
A: Raymond Briggs.
Q: Which song accompanies the flying sequence in The Snowman?
A: Walking in the Air.
Q: What does the boy find the next morning?
A: The snowman has melted.
Q: Which sequel pairs the boy with a new snowman and snowdog?
A: The Snowman and the Snowdog.
Q: What animated television adaptation features Stick Man trying to return to his family tree?
A: Stick Man.
Q: Who wrote the Stick Man picture book?
A: Julia Donaldson, with illustrations by Axel Scheffler.
Q: Why do Christmas cartoons endure across generations?
A: Short runtimes, memorable music, annual broadcasts, and family rituals make repeated viewing part of the holiday itself.
How Did You Score?
If you remembered the aluminum-tree contest, Professor Hinkle, Heat Miser, and the exact reason Linus drops his blanket, your holiday remote is in expert hands. I am still choosing Charlie Brown’s tree, mostly because it fits in my car.
Ellie Simons creates and edits Random Trivia. She researches trivia using primary and authoritative sources whenever possible and is currently reviewing the site's older trivia library for accuracy, clarity, and playability. Read more on the About page.
About this quiz
Site editor: Ellie Simons. Read our Trivia Methodology to learn how questions are researched and updated. Page last updated: . Report an error.