Editing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

{{Short description|Fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May}}
{{about|the character|the song|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)|other uses|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox character
| name               = Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
| image              = Image:Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer Marion Books.jpg
| caption            = Cover of one of the books of the Robert L. May story by Maxton Publishers, Inc.
| first              = 1939
| creator            = [[Robert L. May]]
| voice              = [[Billie Mae Richards]] (TV specials, 1964–1979)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2010/09/14/billie-mae-richards-rudolph-dies/|title=Billie Mae Richards, voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, dies at 88|last=Young|first=John|date=September 14, 2010|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204114014/http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/09/14/billie-mae-richards-rudolph-dies/|archive-date=February 4, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidehalton.com/opinion/columns/article/905466--rudolph-remembered|title='Rudolph' remembered|last=Ford|first=Don|date=November 19, 2010|work=My View|publisher=InsideHalton.com|location=[[Regional Municipality of Halton|Halton, Ontario]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611110949/http://www.insidehalton.com/opinion/columns/article/905466--rudolph-remembered|archive-date=June 11, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=December 2, 2011}}</ref><br/>[[Kathleen Barr]] (''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie]]'', ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys]]'')
| nicknames           = Rudolph in ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie]]'': Red, Rudy, Rudy The Red-Nosed Reject, Neon-Nose
| species            = [[Reindeer]]
| gender             = Male
| title              = The Red Nosed Reindeer
| family             = Donner and Mrs. Donner (parents in 1964 TV special)<br />Blitzen (father in 1998 film)<br />Mitzi (mother in 1998 film)<br />Rusty (brother in ''Holidaze'')<br />Arrow (cousin in 1998 film)<br />Comet, Cupid and Dasher (uncles in 1998 film)<br />Leroy, the Redneck Reindeer (cousin from the [[Joe Diffie]] song of the same name, on the album ''[[Mr. Christmas (Joe Diffie album)|Mr. Christmas]]'')<br />Robbie (son in ''[[Robbie the Reindeer]]'')
}}
'''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer''' is a fictional reindeer created by [[Robert L. May]]. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of [[Santa Claus's reindeer]], using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on [[Christmas Eve]]. Though he initially receives ridicule for his nose as a fawn, the brightness of his nose is so powerful that it illuminates the team's path through harsh winter weather. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr., described Rudolph's story as "the fantasy story made to order for American children: each child has the need to express and receive approval for his or her individuality and special qualities. Rudolph's story embodies the American Dream for the child, writ large because of the cultural significance of Christmas."<ref name="Lankford">{{Cite book|title=Sleigh Rides Jingle Bells & Silent Nights: A Cultural History of American Christmas Songs|last=Lankford|first=Ronald D.|date=2013|publisher=University Press of Florida|isbn=978-0813044927|location=Gainesville, Florida|page=[https://archive.org/details/sleighridesjingl0000lank/page/86 86] |url=https://archive.org/details/sleighridesjingl0000lank/page/86}}</ref>

Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 booklet written by May and published by [[Montgomery Ward]], the department store.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/rudolph.asp|title=Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer|last1= Mikkelson|first1=Barbara|last2=Mikkelson|first2=David P.|date=December 19, 2010|work=Urban Legends Reference Pages|publisher=[[Snopes.com]]|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090708151035/http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/rudolph.asp|archive-date=July 8, 2009|access-date=December 2, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Ramer">{{cite news | url =http://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9RQ71980%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1011|title=Scrapbook tells how Rudolph went down in history|first1=Holly|last1=Ramer|agency=Associated Press|date=December 23, 2011|first2=Toby (photo)|last2=Talbot|place=Hanover, NH|access-date=December 23, 2011|archive-date=August 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813180211/https://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9RQ71980@news.ap.org%3E&ps=1011|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|title= Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs|first=Wook|last=Kim|date=December 17, 2012|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/12/17/yule-laugh-yule-cry-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-beloved-holiday-songs/slide/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221115444/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/12/17/yule-laugh-yule-cry-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-beloved-holiday-songs/slide/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer/|archive-date=December 21, 2014 |url-status= live}}</ref>

The story is owned by The Rudolph Company, LP and has been adapted into numerous forms including [[Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)|the song]] by [[Johnny Marks]], the [[television special]] ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'', ''[[Rudolph's Shiny New Year]]'', and ''[[Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July]]'' from [[Rankin/Bass Productions]], as well as ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie]]'' and ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys]]'' from [[GoodTimes Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Deborah|last=Whipp|title=The History of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer|website=Altogether Christmas|url=http://www.altogetherchristmas.com/traditions/rudolph.html}}</ref> Character Arts, LLC manages the licensing for the Rudolph Company, LP and [[DreamWorks Classics]].  In many countries, Rudolph has become a figure of Christmas [[folklore]]. 2014 marked the 75th anniversary of the character<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nhpr.org/post/archives-rudolph-turns-75|title=From The Archives: Rudolph Turns 75|first=Andrew|last=Parrella|date=December 18, 2014|publisher=[[New Hampshire Public Radio]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224144122/http://nhpr.org/post/archives-rudolph-turns-75|archive-date=December 24, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> and the 50th anniversary of the Rankin/Bass television special.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-celebrates-50th-anniversary/|title=''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' celebrates 50th anniversary|date=December 9, 2014|work=[[CBS News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210075336/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-celebrates-50th-anniversary/|archive-date=December 10, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> A series of postage stamps featuring Rudolph was issued by the [[United States Postal Service]] on November 6, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2014/pr14_058.htm|title=Rudolph all red-nosed over stamp of approval|date=November 6, 2014|publisher=[[United States Postal Service]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224145109/http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2014/pr14_058.htm|archive-date=December 24, 2014|url-status= live|quote=''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,'' the nation’s longest-running and highest-rated Christmas television special 'went down in history' to receive its stamp of approval today. The set of four Limited Edition Forever stamps depicting Rudolph, Hermey, Santa and Bumble were created from still television frames from the special which premiered 50 years ago in 1964.}}</ref>

==Publication history==
[[Robert L. May]] created Rudolph in 1939 as an assignment for Chicago-based Montgomery Ward. The retailer had been buying and giving away booklets for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money. May considered naming the reindeer Rollo or Reginald before deciding upon using the name Rudolph.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Old Fashioned Christmas|series=University Place/[[Wisconsin Historical Society]]|network=[[Wisconsin Public Television]]|airdate=December 12, 2010|minutes= 0:28}}</ref> May chose a reindeer because of his daughter's love of the deer at [[Lincoln Park Zoo]] in [[Chicago|Chicago, IL]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History Minute: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's Roots |url=https://urbnexplorer.com/history-minute-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeers-roots/|website=urbnexplorer.com|access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref> May also said he was treated like Rudolph as a child.<ref>{{cite news|title=Like a Light Bulb!|last=Lippert|first=Barbara|work=[[Advertising Age]]|date=December 18, 2017|page=32}}</ref> In its first year of publication, Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies of Rudolph's story.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://issuu.com/canwestcommunitypublishing/docs/bbyfri20101224|title= Rudolph's Burnaby roots|page= A11|first= Jennifer|last= Moreau|date= December 24, 2010|newspaper= [[Burnaby Now]]}}</ref> The story is written as a poem in [[anapestic tetrameter]], the same meter as "[[A Visit from St. Nicholas]]" (also known as {{"'}}Twas the Night Before Christmas").<ref>{{cite web|title='Rudolph': The Original Red-Nosed Manuscript |url=http://www.npr.org/2013/12/25/256579598/writing-rudolph-the-original-red-nosed-manuscript|website=npr.org|access-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227012618/http://www.npr.org/2013/12/25/256579598/writing-rudolph-the-original-red-nosed-manuscript|archive-date=December 27, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> Publication and reprint rights for the book ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' are controlled by [[Pearson PLC]].{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

While May was staring out his office window in downtown Chicago, pondering how best to craft a Christmas story about a reindeer, a thick fog from [[Lake Michigan]] blocked his view—giving him a flash of inspiration. "Suddenly I had it!" he recalled. "A nose! A bright red nose that would shine through fog like a spotlight."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/the-jewish-man-who-created-a-christmas-classic/article/2643917|title=The Jewish man who created a Christmas classic|last=Powell|first=J. Mark|work=Washington Examiner|access-date=2017-12-20|language=en}}</ref>

The cultural significance of a red nose has changed since the story's publication. In 1930's popular culture, a bright red nose was closely associated with chronic alcoholism and drunkards, so the story idea was initially rejected. May asked his illustrator friend at Montgomery Ward, Denver Gillen, to draw "cute reindeer", using zoo deer as models. The alert, bouncy character Gillen developed convinced management to support the idea.<ref>{{cite news|title=How Rudolph the reindeer came to be|page=A3|first=Wanda|last=Chow|date=December 2010|newspaper=Burnaby Now}}</ref>

Maxton Books published the first mass-market edition of Rudolph in 1947. The copyright for it will expire in 2034.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://creativelawcenter.com/copyright-rudolph-reindeer/|title=Who Owns Rudolph's Nose?, A History of Copyright Office Filings, Creative Law Center, retrieved June 21, 2023|date=December 21, 2016}}</ref> A sequel, ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Shines Again'', was published in 1954.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} In 1992, Applewood Books published ''Rudolph's Second Christmas'', an unpublished sequel that Robert May wrote in 1947.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} In 2003, [[Penguin Books]] issued a reprint version of the original ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' with new artwork by Lisa Papp.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} Penguin also reprinted May's sequels, ''Rudolph Shines Again'' and ''Rudolph's Second Christmas'' (now retitled ''Rudolph to the Rescue'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=3289176038&tab=1&searchurl=|title=Rudolph's Second Christmas by May, Robert Lewis: Applewood Books, Old Saybrook 9781557091925 Hardcover, First Edition, First Printing. - primeeditions|publisher=Abebooks.com|date=2003-01-22|access-date=2019-01-14}}</ref>

==Story==
The story chronicles the experiences of Rudolph, a youthful reindeer buck who possesses an unusual luminous red nose. Mocked and excluded by his peers because of this trait, Rudolph proves himself one [[Christmas Eve]] with poor visibility due to inclement weather. After [[Santa Claus]] catches sight of Rudolph's nose and asks Rudolph to lead his sleigh for the evening, Rudolph agrees and is finally favored by his fellow reindeer for his heroism and accomplishment.

==In media==
===Theatrical cartoon short (1948)===
{{Main|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948 film)}}
[[File:Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948) Rudolph.jpg|thumb|Rudolph depicted in ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948 film)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'' (1948)]]
Rudolph made his first screen appearance in 1948, in a cartoon short produced by [[Max Fleischer]] for the [[Jam Handy]] Corporation that was more faithful to May's original story than Marks' song, which had not yet been written.<ref name="awn">{{cite web|url=http://www.awn.com/news/library-congress-unveils-rudolph-red-nosed-reindeer-restoration|title=''Library of Congress Unveils Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Restoration''|date=December 18, 2014|publisher=Animation World Network|access-date=December 11, 2015}}</ref> It was reissued in 1951 with the song added.<ref name="awn"/>

===Song (1949)===
{{Main|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)}}
May's brother-in-law, [[Johnny Marks]], adapted the story of Rudolph into a song.  [[Gene Autry]]'s recording of the song hit No. 1 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' pop singles chart the week of Christmas 1949.  Autry's recording sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time until the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jackson, Kenneth T. Jackson|author2=Markoe, Karen|author3=Markoe, Arnie|title=The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=1998|page=28}}</ref>

===View-Master reels (1950, 1955)===
The stereoscope [[View-Master]] version of the story was issued and copyrighted by [[Sawyer's]] on August 1, 1950, as a 14-frame, 7-image reel numbered "FT-25".<ref>''Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Volume 4: Works of Art, Reproductions of Works of Art, Scientific and Technical Drawings, Photographic Works, Prints and Pictorial Illustrations'' 1950 Library of Congress [https://archive.org/details/catalogofcopyrig34711libr/mode/2up]</ref> The text was provided by Thomas L. Dixon and the model and diorama work by Florence Thomas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://viewmasterinfo.com/articles/artist_thomas|title=The View-Master Database}}</ref> A follow-up 3-reel packet, also with Thomas involved, was copyrighted on September 10, 1955.<ref>''Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Volume 9: Works of Art, Reproductions of Works of Art, Scientific and Technical Drawings, Photographic Works, Prints and Pictorial Illustrations'' 1955 Library of Congress [https://archive.org/details/catalogofcopyrig39711libr/mode/2up]</ref> These showcased new stories by Robert L. May: ''Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and J. Baddy, the Brilliant Bear'' (FT-26), ''Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Uncle Bigby, the Blue-Nosed Reindeer'' (FT-27) and ''Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer Shines Again'' (FT-28). Later reissue packets of the 1960s and beyond replaced the FT-28 version with the 1950 FT-25 version. The 1955 packet was promoted on television at the time by [[Arlene Francis]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIjfOYqx2vk]

===Comic books (beginning in 1950)===
[[DC Comics]], then known as National Periodical Publications, published a series of 13 annuals titled ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' from 1950-1962.<ref>{{cite book|last=Irvine|first=Alex|author-link=Alexander C. Irvine|editor-last1=Dolan|editor-first1=Hannah|chapter=1950s|title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|date=2010|location=London, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9|page=65|quote=DC began an annual tradition of producing a ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' Christmas special.  Following the success of the famous song (released in 1949), DC licensed the character and put Rudolph at the center of a series of lighthearted adventures...The Christmas Special would continue until 1962, and then return from 1972–1977.}}</ref><ref>{{gcdb series|id=703|title=Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer}} and {{gcdb series|id=20874|title=Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Annual}}</ref> Rube Grossman drew most of the 1950s stories.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.toonopedia.com/rudolph.htm|title= Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer|last1= Markstein|first1= Don|work= [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]|archive-url= https://archive.today/20120912154813/http://www.toonopedia.com/rudolph.htm|archive-date= September 12, 2012|url-status= live|access-date= December 4, 2011|df= mdy-all}}</ref>

In 1972, DC Comics published a 14th edition in an extra-large format. Subsequently, they published six more in that format: ''[[Limited Collectors' Edition]]'' C-20, C-24, C-33, C-42, C-50<ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/245191/ ''Limited Collectors' Edition'' #C-20], [http://www.comics.org/issue/245181/#C-24], [http://www.comics.org/issue/68948/ #C-33], [http://www.comics.org/issue/245184/ #C-42], and [http://www.comics.org/issue/245187/#C-50] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> and ''All-New Collectors' Edition'' C-53, C-60.<ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/245192/ ''All-New Collectors' Edition'' #C-53] and [http://www.comics.org/issue/68933/#C-60] at the Grand Comics Database</ref>

Additionally, one digest format edition was published as ''[[The Best of DC]]'' #4 (March–April 1980).<ref>{{Gcdb issue|id= 34179|title=''The Best of DC'' #4 (March–April 1980)}}</ref> The 1970s Rudolph stories were written and drawn by [[Sheldon Mayer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toonopedia.com/sh_mayer.htm|title=Sheldon Mayer|last1=Markstein|first1=Don|date=2006|work=[[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525151213/https://www.webcitation.org/63e1zyO1w?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/sh_mayer.htm|archive-date=May 25, 2024|url-status=live|quote=[Mayer] also worked on several tabloid-formatted comic books for DC in the mid-1970s, including the company's first use of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer since the early 60s.|access-date=December 3, 2011|df= mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Arnold">{{cite journal|last=Arnold|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Arnold (historian)|title=You Know Dasher and Dancer: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=61|pages=7–10|publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]|date=December 2012}}</ref>

===Children's book (1958)===
In 1958, [[Little Golden Books]] published an illustrated storybook adapted by Barbara Shook Hazen and illustrated by [[Richard Scarry]]. The book, similar in story to the [[Max Fleischer]] cartoon short, is no longer in print, but a revised Little Golden Books version of the storybook was reissued in 1972.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/Rudolph-Red-nosed-Reindeer-Golden-Book/dp/B001NFS2TC|title=Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer - A Golden Book|last1=Hazen|first1=Barbara Shook|last2=May|first2=Robert L.|date=1972|publisher=Golden Press|others=Richard Scarry|edition=9th |language=en}}</ref>

===Stop-motion animation television special (1964) and sequels (1976–1979)===
{{Main|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)}}
[[File:Hermey the elf and Rudolph.jpg|thumb|right|Young Rudolph and Hermey the Elf as seen in the 1964 TV special]]
Perhaps the most well-known version of all the Rudolph adaptations is the New York-based [[Rankin/Bass Productions]]' Christmas television special from 1964.<ref>{{cite book|last=Voger|first=Mark|chapter=TV Animation - Special Treatment|title=Holly Jolly: Celebrating Christmas Past in Pop Culture|publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing|date= 2020|location=Raleigh, North Carolina|pages=171|isbn=978-1605490977}}</ref> Filmed in [[Stop motion|stop-motion]] "Animagic" at [[Tadahito Mochinaga]]'s MOM Productions in [[Tokyo|Tokyo, Japan]], with the screenplay written by [[Romeo Muller]] and all sound recordings (with supervision by [[Bernard Cowan]]) done at the RCA studios in [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario, Canada]], the show premiered on [[NBC]]. As the producers of the special, [[Arthur Rankin, Jr.]] and [[Jules Bass]], only had the song as source material and did not have a copy of the original book, they interpolated an original story around the central narrative of the song, one that differed from the book. This re-telling chronicles Rudolph's social rejection among his peers and his decision to run away from home. Rudolph is accompanied by a similarly outcast elf named Hermey, who skipped elf practice to become a dentist, along with a loud, boisterous, eager prospector named Yukon Cornelius who was in search of wealth. Additional original characters include Rudolph's love interest, Clarice; the Bumble, an [[Yeti|abominable snow monster]]; and, as narrator, Sam, the Living Snowman, voiced by [[Burl Ives]].

Rudolph is born to Donner the reindeer and Donner's wife. He is discovered by Santa to have a shiny, glowing red nose. For a while he hides this quality that makes him different, but when his nose is discovered and he is ostracized, Rudolph runs away with Hermey. On their aimless journey, they run into Yukon Cornelius and attempt to stay away from the Bumble. Their journey leads them to the Island of Misfit Toys, where sentient but unorthodox toys go when they are abandoned by their owners. When Rudolph returns, he discovers his family went to look for him and must be rescued. Then Santa announces that because of bad weather Christmas must be canceled. Santa changes his mind when he notices Rudolph's red nose and asks Rudolph to lead the sleigh team, which he happily accepts.

After the story's initial broadcast, its closing credits were revised. Images of wrapped presents being dropped from Santa's sleigh were replaced by a scene in which Santa stops to pick up the Misfit Toys and delivers them to the homes of children below via umbrellas (with the exception of the misfit toy bird that swims but does not fly who is dropped to its destination). The changes were prompted by viewer feedback pleading for a happy ending for the Misfits Toys as well.  The special aired for over five decades on [[CBS]], before returning to NBC for its 60th anniversary in 2024 in addition to cable airings on [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform's]] [[25 Days of Christmas]] since 2019.<ref name=movestonbc>{{Cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2024-11-01 |title=CBS Holiday Staple Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Is Flying Over to NBC |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-nbc.html |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref> The special and its original assortment of characters have acquired iconic status, subject to [[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)#In popular culture|frequent parodies and homages]].

The success and popularity of the special led to two sequels ''[[Rudolph's Shiny New Year]]'' (1976) which continued the reindeer's journeys, and the series was made into a trilogy with the feature-length film ''[[Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July]]'' (1979), which integrated the ''Rudolph'' universe into that of Rankin/Bass's adaptation of ''[[Frosty the Snowman (TV special)|Frosty the Snowman]]'' (1969). Being one of the most popular Rankin/Bass characters, Rudolph also made his cameo appearances in two "Animagic" specials ''[[Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (TV special)|Santa Claus is Comin' to Town]]'' (1970) and ''[[Nestor, the Long–Eared Christmas Donkey]]'' (1977), and in the Easter television special ''[[The First Easter Rabbit]]'' (1976) with cel animation by Toru Hara's [[Topcraft]].

===Animated feature-length films===
{{Main|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie}}
''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie]]'' (1998) is an 2D-animated feature film presented by [[GoodTimes Entertainment]] and Golden Books Family Entertainment (now [[Western Publishing]]), and produced by Tundra Productions in Hollywood, California. It received only a limited theatrical release before debuting on [[home video]]. Its inclusion of a [[villain]], a love interest, a sidekick, and a strong protector are more derivative of the Rankin/Bass adaptation of the story than the original tale and song (the characters of Stormella, Zoey, Arrow, Slyly, and Leonard parallel the Rankin/Bass characters of the Bumble, Clarice, Fireball, Hermey, and Yukon Cornelius, respectively). The movie amplifies the early backstory of Rudolph's harassment by his schoolmates (primarily his cousin Arrow) during his formative years. It was produced and directed by William R. Kowalchuk, and written by Michael Aschner, with music and songs by [[Al Kasha]] and
[[Michael Lloyd (music producer)|Michael Lloyd]], and with most of the casting being assembled at BLT Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia. The film's recording facilities were Pinewood Sound in Vancouver, Schwartz Sound in New York, and [[Wally Burr|Wally Burr Recording]] in Hollywood. Among the all-star cast of voices were American actors [[John Goodman]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Debbie Reynolds]], [[Richard Simmons]] and [[Bob Newhart]], British actor [[Eric Idle]], and Canadian actress [[Kathleen Barr]] as Rudolph. Animation production services for the film were outsourced to Colorland Animation Productions in Hong Kong.

{{main|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys}}
GoodTimes Entertainment, the producers of ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie'', brought back most of the same production team for a CGI-animated sequel, ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys]]'' (2001). Unlike the previous film, the sequel featured the original characters from the Rankin/Bass special as GoodTimes soon learned that Rankin/Bass had made a copyright error that made the characters unique to their special free to use.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="width:20%;"| Role
! style="width:40%;"| ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:<br />The Movie]]''<br />(1998)
! style="width:40%;"| ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys]]''<br />(2001)
|-
! Director
| rowspan=2 colspan=2| William R. Kowalchuk
|-
! Producer
|-
! Writer
| colspan=2| Michael Aschner
|-
! Composer
| [[Al Kasha]] and Michael Lloyd
| [[Bruce Roberts (singer)|Bruce Roberts]] and Diana B
|-
! Editor
| Tom Hok
| Lennie Nelson
|-
! Production<br />companies
| colspan=2| [[GoodTimes Entertainment]]<br>[[Western Publishing|Golden Books Family Entertainment]]<br>Tundra Productions
|-
! Distributor
| [[Legacy Releasing]]
| [[GoodTimes Entertainment]]
|-
! Running time
| 80 minutes
| 74 minutes
|-
! Release date
| October 6, 1998
| October 30, 2001
|}

===Other===
A live-action version of Rudolph (complete with the glowing nose) along with Donner and Blitzen appears in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' Christmas special titled "[[Last Christmas (Doctor Who)|Last Christmas]]", which was broadcast on [[BBC One]] on December 25, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02f3wtn|title=''Doctor Who''|date=December 12, 2014|publisher= BBC|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141221193146/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02f3wtn|archive-date=December 21, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=December 16, 2014|quote=In the North Pole the Doctor and Clara are joined by a familiar figure… and his reindeer!}}</ref> In this special, Santa is able to park him like a car and turn off his nose.

Nathaniel Dominy, an anthropology professor at [[Dartmouth College]] (Robert L. May's alma mater), published a scholarly paper on Rudolph's red nose in the [[open access]] online journal ''[[Frontiers Media#Frontiers for Young Minds|Frontiers for Young Minds]]''<ref name="Frontiers">{{cite journal|title=Reindeer Vision Explains the Benefits of a Glowing Nose.|journal=Frontiers for Young Minds|date=December 21, 2015|author=Nathaniel J. Dominy|volume=3|issue=18|doi=10.3389/frym.2015.00018|doi-access=free}}</ref> in 2015. In the paper, Dominy noted that reindeer eyes can perceive shorter wavelengths of light than humans, allowing them to see ultraviolet light; ultraviolet light, however, is much more easily scattered in fog, which would blind reindeer. Thus, Rudolph's red nose, emitting longer-wavelength red light, would penetrate the fog more easily. A summary of Dominy's findings was released in an ''[[Associated Press]]'' article on December 22.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ramer|first=Holly|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4f3a155b5c724782805e2f5458523ac5/rudolphs-shiny-red-nose-may-be-tied-eyes-glow-blue|title=Rudolph's shiny red nose may be tied to eyes that glow blue|agency=Associated Press|date=December 22, 2015|access-date=December 22, 2015|archive-date=December 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223111541/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4f3a155b5c724782805e2f5458523ac5/rudolphs-shiny-red-nose-may-be-tied-eyes-glow-blue|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
* "[[Run Rudolph Run]]", a song by [[Chuck Berry]] about Rudolph

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.npr.org/2013/12/25/256579598/writing-rudolph-the-original-red-nosed-manuscript?ft=3&f=1032#con256879513 Manuscript of the Montgomery Ward book]
* [http://www.characterarts.com Official Licensor for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]

{{Commons category|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer}}
{{Portal|Holidays|Children's literature}}

{{Rudolph}}
{{Christmas}}
{{Montgomery Ward}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer|Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]
[[Category:Christmas children's books]]
[[Category:Christmas characters]]
[[Category:Christian folklore]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1939]]
[[Category:Montgomery Ward]]
[[Category:Santa Claus in fiction]]
[[Category:Santa Claus's reindeer|Santa Claus' reindeer]]