Rudolph

Rudolph is the central character who first appeared in the Rankin/Bass special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Just as the song suggests, Rudolph was born with an unusually shiny red nose. Donner was ashamed of his son's unusual trait, so he placed a fake nose on Rudolph which later fell off.

In the original Rudolph special, Rudolph leaves home because he feels ashamed of this. He llater befriends Hermey, the elf outcast who wanted to be a dentist, and the miner Yukon Cornelius. They arrived at the Island of Misfit Toys, a place where all of the unwanted toys go.

After spending the night, Rudolph travels back to his home, and finds out that his family left to go look for him. He searches for them, saving them from the Abominable Snowmonster[[. Once they arrive at the North Pole, Rudolph learns that Christmas will have to be canceled because of the weather conditions. However, [[Santa Claus asks Rudolph to use his nose to light the way and lead his team. Thus, Christmas is saved and Rudolph is praised as a hero instead of a misfit.

Rudolph returned in two sequels, Rudolph's Shiny New Year and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. The latter provides a detailed backstory for Rudolph's nose, explaining that the Lady Borealis made it shine as a defense against the evil Winterbolt, and that its power lasts only as long as Rudolph uses his gift for good.