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Rudolph is the titular character of the story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the famous song spun off from it. He is Santa Claus' ninth and lead reindeer, who possesses an unusually red-colored nose that gives off its own light (bioluminescence), powerful enough to illuminate through inclement winter weather. Although he is initially teased and called names by his peers because of his nose, he becomes a hero when, on a particularly murky Christmas Eve, he is recruited by Santa to lead his reindeer team and guide his sleigh in the sky through the bad weather to complete his annual journey.

Rudolph's story, which is told as a poem in the meter of A Visit from St. Nicholas, was written by Robert L. May in 1939 as part of his employment with Montgomery Ward. The retailer had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money. In its first year of publication, 2.4 million copies of Rudolph's story were distributed by Montgomery Ward. The story is owned by the Rudolph Company, L.P. and has been sold in numerous forms, most notably the song, written by May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks. Although the story and song are not public domain, Rudolph himself has become a figure of Christmas folklore.

Original stories

In May's original poem, Rudolph is teased and taunted by the other young reindeer because of his shiny red nose by saying; "His nose is a sight, it's red as a beet; twice as big and twice as bright." Though he doesn't show it outside, when he goes to sleep, he is shown to be emotionally hurt by those words as he sadly cries himself to sleep. When Santa arrives in his room on Christmas Eve, Rudolph attempts to hide his nose from him, only to learn that Santa wants him to use it to help guide him through the treacherous fog. Because of this, he is declared a hero and becomes a part of Santa's team.

Following the advent of the song, May wrote a second story starring Rudolph, titled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Shines Again, in 1954. The story, set a year after the original, finds Santa's original eight reindeer becoming envious of Rudolph's fame and not respecting him after Santa chooses Rudolph to work on toys at his workshop. Feeling put upon by the other reindeer, Rudolph finds his nose is losing its glow and decides to leave the North Pole. He then meets and befriends a group of rabbits who are searching for their missing babies. In helping them, Rudolph regains his confidence, causing his nose to start glowing again, and he returns to Santa just in time to help him guide the sleigh once again. Unlike the original story, Rudolph Shines Again has never received an animated adaptation.

A third story by May, titled Rudolph's Second Christmas (later retitled Rudolph to the Rescue), was written, but went unpublished until 1992, sixteen years after May's death. This story finds Rudolph coming to the aid of Sonny and Sis, two kids who weren't visited by Santa in previous years because they work at a failing circus that is constantly on the move.

Portrayals in Christmas specials

Like Santa and the other reindeer, Rudolph's portrayals in Christmas specials have varied in many ways. Due to the fact that he is currently not a public domain character, however, he is not always referred to by name in most of the specials he appears in.

Picture Performer Feature Year Notes
Image1944
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 1948 Notably the first animated adaptation of the story, this theatrical short follows May's original poem almost word-for-word.
Rudolph's nose glows again
Billie Mae Richards (1964-1979);
Kathleen Barr (2001)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 1964
Main article: Rudolph (Rankin/Bass character)

In the famous stop-motion special, Rudolph is the son of Santa's lead reindeer, Donner. This version, which has become the most famous depiction of the character, later starred in Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, and Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys, and also had cameos in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey.

Rudolph-Pacman
Christmas Comes to Pac-Land 1982 Rudolph is among Santa's reindeer when they crash in Pac-Land, leaving him very weakened and in need of energy. Pac-Man and his friends are able to take Rudolph and the other reindeer to the Power Pellet Forest. Upon eating the Power Pellets, Rudolph is repowered so strongly, Santa is impressed by how brightly his nose is glowing now from the Power Pellets' energy boost. This allows them to complete their journey and make up for lost time, even stopping back in Pac-Land to leave gifts for everyone there.
Rudolph-WeWishYouaMerryChristmas
We Wish You a Merry Christmas 1992
Rudolph in PATB
A Pinky and the Brain Christmas 1995
Rudolph-EWJ
Charlie Adler Earthworm Jim: "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls" 1996 Earthworm Jim, Peter Puppy, and Princess What's-Her-Name encounter Rudolph at the Personifications of Abstract Concepts Club. He resents the lack of respect that Santa gave him and believes that Santa deserved to get kidnapped.
Rudolph-JohnnyBravo
Jeff Bennett Johnny Bravo: "Twas the Night" 1997 When Johnny Bravo wonders why Rudolph is not pulling Santa's sleigh, it is shown that he is busy battling the Grinch's henchmen.
Supermodel-Rudolph
Cassandra Halloran Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas 1997 This young supermodel is dressed as Rudolph and appears during the songs "Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas", "Go Santa Go", and "Jeff's Christmas Tune".
Rudolph-Movie
Eric Pospisil (child);
Kathleen Barr (teenager);
Michael Lloyd (singing)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie 1998 Unlike the Rankin/Bass version, Rudolph is the son of Blitzen in this film.
Imagertrrp
Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire 1999 Despite not being mentioned by name, it is revealed that Rudolph is the father of the main character, Robbie. He also appears in a painting in the reindeer's log cabin. The painting also makes a cameo in Hooves of Fire's 2002 sequel Legend of the Lost Tribe.
No Screenshot
Futurama: "A Tale of Two Santas" 1999 A robotic Rudolph with an explosive nose.
Rudolph-BrandyAndMrWhiskers
Brandy and Mr. Whiskers: "On Whiskers, On Lola, On Cheryl and Meryl" 2004
Imageholidazerustykidwm
Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen 2006 In this special, Rudolph is the older brother of Rusty. Though not mentioned by name, he is heard offscreen talking to his father, Roger. Later in the film, a poster of him and the sleigh team is seen on a billboard. A cutout and toys of Rudolph are seen in a Walmart store Rusty goes into. Oddly, the cutout and toys depict Rudolph with a black nose, perhaps hinting that his nose only turns red when it glows.
Rudolph TUFF Puppy
Grey DeLisle T.U.F.F. Puppy: "A Doomed Christmas" 2011 In this special, Rudolph is depicted as female.
Rudolph in Regular Show
Regular Show: "The Christmas Special" 2012
Imagerdw
Doctor Who: "Last Christmas" 2014 Rudolph, along with Donner and Blitzen, appears in this special. It is shown that Santa can park him like a car.
SantaAndRudolph-BrokenKaraoke
Broken Karaoke: "Santa Gave My Grandson Coal for Christmas" 2022 Santa is giving Rudolph a new hairdo when Alice Green confronts him about giving Baby Cricket coal.

Mentions in other Christmas specials

  • In Yogi's First Christmas, a line in the song "It's Your First Christmas" has Boo Boo Bear saying that his friend Yogi "didn't know that Rudolph's nose was red!"
  • At the beginning of the Bonkers episode "Miracle at the 34th Precinct", when Jingles tells her that Blitzen is helping Santa test his new sleigh, Belle responds "It's stormy outside! Why didn't he take Rudolph!?"
  • In Olive, the Other Reindeer, the titular dog asks why Rudolph isn't with the rest of the sleigh team; Blitzen replies, "There's no Rudolph, that's just an urban legend."
  • In the live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, the Grinch puts a red nose on his dog, Max, when he disguises him as a reindeer. He then gives Max the "motivation" that he, as Rudolph, now hates Christmas and is going to help the Grinch steal it.
  • In the Teacher's Pet episode "A Dog for All Seasons", when Scott Leadready II (alias Spot Helperman) is at the library trying to find out if dogs have any winter holiday traditions, he complains that all the other animals are covered, listing Rudolph as an example.
  • In the My Life as a Teenage Robot episode "A Robot for All Seasons", Todd Sweeney says to Jenny that his first attempt to ruin Christmas involved a giant fog bank, "but a certain mutant reindeer ruined that plan."
  • At the beginning of A Loud House Christmas, Lana Loud puts reindeer antlers on her pet frog, Hops; Lincoln states that he looks "just like Rudolph himself" (despite the lack of a red nose).
  • In the Amphibia episode "Froggy Little Christmas", while gathering decorations for her family's parade float at the Museum of Natural History, Anne Boonchuy finds a reindeer display and says, "Well, hello, Rudolph."
  • In Santa, Inc., Rudolph is the father of Junior, the leader of Santa's A-team of reindeer.
  • In The Ghost and Molly McGee episode "White Christmess", Molly comes up with a backstory for Brita, the llama Darryl rented, saying that she opted to take Rudolph's place after he retired. Later in the episode, Darryl tells Brita's "backstory" to the seniors, saying that Rudolph was forced to retire because of a knee injury.

External links

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Reindeer
Santa's team DasherDancerPrancerVixenCometCupidDonnerBlitzenRudolph (Rankin/Bass version)
Others AnnabelleArrowBarnabyBlizzardBlizzBuckyClarice (her father) • DartDelphiFireballFredFrostGargoff • Gift Givers of the Grove (AliceAuroraBori) • Gobie (His friendsGrandfather) • GrandpaGrandsanta's Pet ReindeerHollyJonniLeaderLenniLightningMitziMrs. DonnerMrs. PrancerNicNikoOld JingleOliveOonaPrancyPinkyRennyRobbieRogerRustySagaSanta Claus's Reindeer's Great-Great-GrandchildrenScratcherSchnitzelSparkleStrikerSvenTapirThrasherTobiasZoey (Her father and mother)
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