Did you know that the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
was created for the Montgomery Ward group of department stores?
Montgomery Ward asked one of their copywriters, Robert L. May,
to come up with a Christmas story they could give away to shoppers.
Mr. May decided to pattern his story after the Ugly Duckling and
to use an underdog reindeer with a red nose. When he finished the
story, he read it to his 4-year daughter and she absolutely
loved it.
In 1947, Mr. May secured the copyright from Montgomery Ward.
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was printed commercially in
1947 and shown in theaters as a nine-minute cartoon the
following year. Mr. May's brother-in-law, wrote lyrics for a
Rudolph song and was recorded in 1949 by Gene Autry. The record
sold two million copies that first year. This same song is one
of the best selling songs of all time (second to "White Christmas").
In 1964, a TV special narrated by Burl Ives was produced and
it still remains a holiday favorite in the United States.
