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Thursday 21 September 2017

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Santa's reindeer were introduced in the poem "A Visit From St Nicholas" written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1823. He named eight reindeer. Rudolph was only added in 1939.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, was created in 1939, in Chicago, for the Montgomery Ward department stores for a Christmas promotional booklet. The lyrics were written as a poem by Robert May, but weren't set to music until 1947. Gene Autry recorded the hit song in 1949.

Promotional booklet cover of the original story by Robert L. May. Wikipedia

The original Rankin-Bass holiday favorite Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964 on NBC.  It is currently the longest running Christmas special on US television.

Rudolph is copyrighted - Chuck Berry had to pay up when he wrote a rock song about the famous reindeer ("Run Rudolph Run").

The idea of ‘Rudolph The Red Nosed-Reindeer’ having a bright red nose was originally rejected as a red nose is a signifier of chronic alcoholism.

Rudolph's nose would actually be useful to Santa's reindeer—their ultraviolet winter vision would be rendered useless by fog.


Rudolph should probably be depicted without antlers as male reindeer shed theirs in winter.

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