It was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, based on the 1902 children's book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, the writer of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

However, after hearing about the discovery of the infant, Necile, a Wood Nymph, steals him from Shiegra and goes to the Great Ak, begging him to let her raise the child.

After initial concern that a human was brought into the Forest which is against the law, the Great Ak allows Necile to raise the child while Shiegra stays to protect them.

He eventually makes toys (the first being a wooden black cat modeled after the kitten Blinky that Necile sent to them, which he gives to the orphan boy Weekum).

King Awgwa defies the Great Ak's demand that he stop interfering with Claus's efforts and declares war on the Immortals.

After hearing about Claus's life and good deeds, the council unanimously votes to give him the Mantle of Immortality.

Screenwriter Julian P. Gardner created the song "Big Surprise" as the children at Weekum's orphanage plead to Santa Claus for more toy cats.

Other songs include the chorus "Babe in the Woods" and the chant, "Ora e Sempre (Today and Forever)" representing the immortals.

Its first airing on December 17, 1985, earned a 12.5 rating and a 19 percent audience share, ranking third in its timeslot, and placed in the bottom ten for the week (56th out of 65 shows).

[3] The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus was released on VHS tape in 1990 and was re-released on September 26, 2000 by Warner Home Video.

[4] The special was paired with Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey and released on DVD under the Warner Archive brand on November 17, 2009.