Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

One of Santa's Clause's favourite songs by Johnny Marks

Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
You would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolf
Play in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolf with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee:
"Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer,
You'll go down in history!"

---

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer immortalized in song, in childrens books and animated movies, seems like it has always been part of our Christmas folklore. But this story is a commercial twentieth-century creation.

The story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer arrived in 1939 when the Montgomery Ward department stores chain asked Robert L. May one of their copywriters, to come up with a new Christmas story that they could use as a give away to shoppers.

Drawing in part on the tale of The Ugly Duckling May he wrote Rudolph's story, testing it out on his 4-year-old daughter Barbara.

The Book "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was also printed commercially in 1947 and shown in theaters as a nine-minute cartoon in 1948.

The Rudolph story reached its heights later though when May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, developed the lyrics and melody for the song. The song was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949, and sold two million copies in the first year, going on to become one of the best-selling songs of all time, (2nd only to "A White Christmas"). A Rudolph TV special narrated by singer Burl Ives was launched 1964 and remains a popular favorite.