The Magic of ‘Rudolph’

How a fictional reindeer became a multimedia superstar

Screen shot of Hermey the elf and Rudolph, two characters from ‘The Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Credit: Copyright 1964, Rankin-Bass

In December 1964, when the last members of the Baby Boomer generation were being born, the animated film, The Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, was released as a television special. Since then, it has aired annually in the U.S., making this film the country’s longest continuously running Christmas TV special.

While that television film may be the best-known rendition of the classic story, it is neither the first nor the last. The fictional reindeer has been celebrated for over eighty years in books, songs, on television, in film, and as a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Rudolph is arguably the most beloved Christmas character, second only to Santa Claus himself.

How Rudolph got his start

Oddly enough, Rudolph’s story begins at catalog mail order company Montgomery Ward. Copywriter Robert L. May was asked to come up with a new character for the company’s annual Christmas coloring book. In 1939, May wrote the story in poetic form of a sad reindeer who couldn’t fit in with other reindeer due to his unusual red nose. May called the reindeer “Rudolph” because the name was alliterative and he liked the sound of it.