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He’s the most famous reindeer of all, a glowing beacon in the winter sky and a symbol of the Christmas spirit recognized the world over. His story is a cherished holiday tradition, a tale of an outcast who, against all odds, saves Christmas with the very trait that made him an object of ridicule. But the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is far more complex and poignant than many realize. It wasn’t born from ancient folklore or a whimsical fairy tale. Instead, it began as a calculated marketing campaign during the Great Depression, crafted by a grieving, debt-ridden copywriter who poured his own feelings of alienation into a story that would unexpectedly capture the hearts of millions.
This is the definitive guide to Rudolph’s incredible journey. We’ll uncover his humble beginnings as a department store giveaway, trace his flight from the page to a chart-topping song, and land in the beloved, snow-covered world of the classic 1964 television special. It’s a story about creativity, perseverance, and the surprising ways a simple idea can become a powerful cultural icon.
Forget what you think you know about the reindeer with the shiny nose; his true story is one of heartbreak, hope, and the enduring magic of finding your place in the world.
A Light in the Darkness: The 1939 Creation at Montgomery Ward
The tale of Rudolph begins not at the North Pole, but in a corporate office in Chicago during one of America’s darkest economic periods. It was 1939, and the nation was still clawing its way out of the Great Depression. The retail giant Montgomery Ward had a yearly tradition of creating a free, festive coloring book to give away to children during the holiday season. It was a simple marketing tactic designed to drive foot traffic and build goodwill with families. For years, they had purchased these books from outside suppliers, but in an effort to cut costs, they decided to create one in-house.
The task fell to Robert L. May, a 34-year-old copywriter in the company’s advertising department. May was not living the life he had imagined. An aspiring novelist with a degree from Dartmouth, he found himself writing catalog descriptions for men’s shirts and other mundane products. He was, by his own admission, a small, meek man, often feeling like an outcast among his more boisterous colleagues. His life was further complicated by personal tragedy. His wife, Evelyn, was battling cancer, and the mounting medical bills had plunged their family deep into debt.
May’s boss approached him with the assignment: create a cheerful, animal-based Christmas story. The goal was simple—produce a booklet that was cheap to print but would delight children and, by extension, their parents. As he began brainstorming, May drew from his own painful experiences. He remembered being bullied as a child for his shy, awkward nature. He saw that same feeling of being an outsider reflected in his young daughter, Barbara, who was shy and struggled to fit in with her peers. He wanted to write a story that would comfort her, a story that showed that the very things that make you different are often the sources of your greatest strength.
He thought back to the story of “The Ugly Duckling,” another tale of a misfit finding its true calling. An animal protagonist was the core of the assignment, and a reindeer seemed perfectly suited for a Christmas story. But this reindeer needed something special, a unique feature that would set him apart.
The Problem with a Red Nose
May settled on the idea of a glowing, red nose. It was a brilliant, memorable concept, but it was almost immediately rejected by his superiors at Montgomery Ward. In the popular culture of the 1930s and 40s, a red nose was inextricably linked with drunkenness and alcoholism. It was the visual shorthand for a chronic inebriate, hardly the wholesome image a family-friendly department store wanted to project. His bosses were adamant: a red-nosed reindeer was simply not appropriate for a children’s Christmas story.
But May believed in his vision. He was convinced the glowing nose was the key to the entire story. To prove his point, he enlisted the help of a friend in Montgomery Ward’s art department, Denver Gillen. Gillen sketched out adorable, doe-eyed reindeer, one of which sported a bright, friendly, and undeniably charming red nose. When May presented these sketches alongside his story, his bosses finally saw what he had envisioned. The combination of the heartfelt narrative and the endearing illustrations won them over. They gave him the green light.
As he finalized the story, May would read it aloud to his daughter Barbara, gauging her reactions and refining the verses. He toyed with several names for his hero, including Rollo and Reginald, before settling on Rudolph. The story, written in the same anapestic tetrameter as Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” came together.
Tragically, just as the project was nearing completion, May’s wife Evelyn passed away in July 1939. His boss, moved by his employee’s hardship, offered to take him off the assignment. May refused. “I needed Rudolph now more than ever,” he later recalled. He poured his grief and his hope into the story, finishing it a month later.
In Christmas of 1939, Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies of the softcover Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer booklet. Despite wartime paper shortages, another 3.6 million copies were given away by 1946. The little reindeer, born from a father’s love and an ad man’s pain, was a phenomenon.
A Christmas Miracle: The Copyright
For years, Robert L. May saw no financial return from his creation. Rudolph belonged to Montgomery Ward. May returned to writing catalog copy, still struggling with the debt his wife’s illness had left behind.
Then, in an unprecedented act of corporate generosity, Montgomery Ward CEO Sewell Avery gave the copyright for Rudolph to Robert L. May in late 1946. The exact reasons remain unclear, though some speculate Avery was moved by May’s personal story or simply believed it was the right thing to do. For May, it was a life-changing gift. He was finally able to pay off his debts and secure his family’s future. The humble copywriter who created a symbol of hope for others had finally found his own.
From Poem to Pop Hit: The Song That Made Rudolph a Star
With the copyright in hand, May began to explore ways to license his character. The first product was a nine-minute animated short produced by Max Fleischer that was shown in theaters in 1948. But the real breakthrough came from within his own family.
May’s brother-in-law was Johnny Marks, a professional songwriter and radio producer. Marks saw the massive potential in the story of Rudolph and believed it could be adapted into a hit song. He composed a simple, catchy melody and adapted May’s poem into lyrics, adding the now-famous introduction naming the other eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. (It’s worth noting that May’s original poem named Donder and Blitzen, the Dutch words for “thunder” and “lightning,” which Marks later anglicized to Donner and Blitzen).
Just as May had faced rejection with the red nose, Marks struggled to find a home for his song. He pitched it to some of the biggest stars of the era, including Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, who both passed. Crosby reportedly found it silly and felt it wasn’t a worthy follow-up to his monumental hit, “White Christmas.”
Marks eventually found a taker in an unlikely place: Gene Autry, the “Singing Cowboy.” Autry was a massive star, but he initially disliked the song and refused to record it. He felt it wasn’t a good fit for his Western persona. However, his wife, Ina, had heard the demo and was captivated by the story’s message of overcoming adversity. She urged him to give it a chance. Reluctantly, Autry agreed, recording it as a B-side.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” sung by Gene Autry, was released in the fall of 1949. It was an instant, runaway success. The song flew to #1 on the Billboard pop charts that Christmas and sold over two million copies in its first year alone. It would go on to become one of the best-selling songs of all time, second only to “White Christmas.” The song cemented Rudolph’s place in the holiday canon, transforming him from a department store character into a global Christmas icon.
Animagic and Anomie: The 1964 Rankin/Bass Television Special
By the early 1960s, television had become the heart of American family life, and animated Christmas specials were a burgeoning and beloved tradition. Following the success of shows like Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962), General Electric approached Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass of Rankin/Bass Productions to create a new holiday special as part of their General Electric Fantasy Hour. The subject? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Rankin/Bass had developed a unique and painstaking form of stop-motion animation they called “Animagic.” The process involved creating poseable puppets, or “videocraft,” with metal armatures, which were then moved incrementally and filmed one frame at a time. The slightly jerky, yet deeply charming, result would become the studio’s signature style and define the visual landscape of Christmas for generations of children.
The task of adapting the story fell to screenwriter Romeo Muller. He faced a significant challenge: the song and the original poem were quite short. To fill a one-hour television slot, he needed to dramatically expand the world and its characters. It was in this expansion that the story of Rudolph gained the depth and emotional complexity it’s known for today.
Muller created a rich cast of new characters, each with their own story of nonconformity:
- Sam the Snowman: The banjo-playing narrator, voiced with avuncular warmth by the legendary folk singer Burl Ives. Sam served as the friendly guide, framing the story as a piece of cherished folklore.
- Hermey the Elf: An elf who doesn’t want to make toys. Instead, he dreams of becoming a dentist. His rejection of his prescribed social role mirrors Rudolph’s own struggle. His famous line, “I’d like to be… a dentist,” is a declaration of independence that resonated with anyone who ever felt pressured to follow a path they didn’t choose.
- Yukon Cornelius: The blustering, silver-and-gold-prospecting mountain man. Loud, eccentric, and perpetually licking his pickaxe to search for peppermint, he was a source of comic relief and a loyal protector of Rudolph and Hermey.
- The Abominable Snow Monster of the North (The Bumble): The special’s primary antagonist, a towering, fearsome beast who is ultimately revealed to be suffering from a toothache, making him a candidate for Hermey’s dental skills. His eventual taming (and tooth-pulling) reinforces the theme of looking past a scary exterior to find the source of a problem.
- The Island of Misfit Toys: Perhaps the most poignant and enduring of Muller’s creations. The island is a sanctuary for unwanted toys, each with a quirk that makes them “unlovable”: a Charlie-in-the-Box, a spotted elephant, a bird that swims, a boat that can’t stay afloat, and a dolly with psychological issues. Led by the winged lion King Moonracer, they wait in hope that someone, somewhere, wants them.
A Deeper Story of Acceptance
With these new characters and subplots, the 1964 special transformed Rudolph’s story from a simple tale of a physical abnormality into a profound allegory about social conformity and self-acceptance. The North Pole depicted in the special is a rigid, unforgiving society. Santa himself is initially dismissive of Rudolph’s nose. Rudolph’s own father, Donner, is ashamed and tries to conceal his son’s uniqueness with a fake nose made of mud. The other young reindeer, led by Fireball, openly mock and exclude him from their “reindeer games.”
Rudolph and Hermey become outcasts together, two friends who flee a society that refuses to accept them for who they are. Their journey is one of self-discovery, and in finding each other, they realize they are not alone. The Island of Misfit Toys serves as a powerful metaphor for this experience, a place where everyone is different and therefore no one is.
The special’s message is clear: your perceived flaws and eccentricities are not weaknesses. They are integral parts of who you are, and they may even be the source of your greatest power. It’s a message that has resonated for decades, offering comfort and validation to anyone who has ever felt like a misfit.
The Ending That Almost Wasn’t
When Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first aired on December 6, 1964, it was a massive ratings success. But after the broadcast, General Electric was inundated with letters from concerned viewers, many of them children. They all had the same question: what happened to the Misfit Toys? In the original version, after Rudolph promises to help them, the story moves to the climax of the snowstorm, and the toys are never mentioned again. Viewers were heartbroken at the thought of the sad little toys being abandoned on their island.
In response to the public outcry, Rankin/Bass created a new, short scene for the 1965 broadcast. In this revised ending, Santa, led by Rudolph, makes a special stop at the Island of Misfit Toys to pick them up and deliver them to loving homes. This small addition completed the story’s arc of redemption and inclusion, and it has been the standard version of the special ever since.
The Enduring Legacy: Why Rudolph Continues to Guide the Way
More than 80 years after a humble copywriter first sketched him out, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer remains an unshakable pillar of Christmas culture. The 1964 special is one of the longest-running and highest-rated holiday specials in television history, broadcast annually to millions of viewers. But why does this story, born as a marketing tool, continue to resonate so deeply?
- The Universal Underdog: At its core, Rudolph’s story is the ultimate underdog narrative. It’s a timeless archetype that appeals to a fundamental human desire to see the little guy win. We root for Rudolph because we see ourselves in his struggle.
- A Celebration of Individuality: Rudolph’s nose is a powerful symbol for any quality that makes someone feel different. The story teaches that these differences should not be hidden or shamed but embraced. In a world that often pressures people to conform, Rudolph is a beacon of individuality.
- A Bridge Between Generations: For many families, watching the Rudolph special is a cherished holiday ritual. It’s a piece of shared culture that connects grandparents, parents, and children, creating a common ground of nostalgia and holiday spirit.
- A Story of Redemption and Forgiveness: The special doesn’t just celebrate Rudolph; it allows the characters who wronged him to redeem themselves. Santa apologizes for his prejudice. Donner expresses pride in his son. The other reindeer who once mocked him now cheer for him. It’s a powerful lesson in forgiveness and the capacity for change.
From a simple booklet designed to sell merchandise, Rudolph has evolved into something far more meaningful. He is a symbol of hope, a champion for misfits, and a reminder that the light that makes you different is often the very light the world needs. Every year, as the fog rolls in and the sleigh bells begin to jingle, his glowing nose doesn’t just guide Santa’s sleigh—it guides us back to the enduring Christmas message of acceptance, love, and finding our own unique way to shine.
