4C | L ETTERS
TO
S ANTA 2019 | SIUSLAW NEWS
SIUSLAW NEWS
A red-nosed reindeer and his lasting fame
A
dults and children alike
are familiar with the tale
of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer.” As the lyrics of the
song illustrate:
“Rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer had a very shiny
nose / And if you ever saw it,
you would even say it glows.”
Popularized by the song written by
Johnny Marks and sung by Gene Au-
try, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
dates back to 1939.
A copywriter named Robert L. May
created the story of the misfit reindeer
in 1939 when working for Montgom-
ery Ward. The retail giant was produc-
ing marketing holiday coloring books
for children and wanted to come up
with a clever character.
Although the name “Rudolph” is
now beloved, May’s original ideas in-
cluded Rollo and Reginald.
Also, Rudolph’s famed red nose al-
most didn’t come to be. Because a red
nose at the time was viewed as a sign
of alcoholism, Montgomery Ward
was hesitant to be on board with the
bulbous, red snoot. A blue nose was
considered, but later changed. In its
first year of publication, Mont-
gomery Ward had distributed
2.4 million copies of Rudolph’s
story.
The catchy tune came thereaf-
ter, followed by a cartoon short
in 1948. In 1964, the stop-mo-
tion animated television special
further propelled Rudolph to celebrity
and became the most recognizable Ru-
dolph adaption.
Today, Rudolph is known across
the globe as the reindeer responsible
for navigating Santa’s sleigh through
tricky weather on Christmas Eve. He
continues to be loved by many, young
and old.
He truly “will go down in history!”
— Courtesy of Metro
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