Sonoma State Star

Issue date: 12/7/05 Section: Student Life

Media Credit: www.tvparty.com Premiering on NBC on December 6, 1964, Rudoplh has become the longest running, highest rated television special in the history of the medium.

We all know him as the red-nosed reindeer who helped guide Santa's sleigh. His name is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. His story, song, and television special have remained a part of Christmas folklore for the past 65 years and have since remained one of the top symbols associated with Christmas. Many of us remember hearing the story of Rudolph as children, or singing his song on the radio. It is where the story came from that many of us aren't familiar with. The story about how Rudolph became the most famous of Santa's reindeer's. This story actually began over sixty years ago in 1939.

It was during this year that 34 year old copywriter, Robert L. May, was assigned by his company to create a Christmas story. Montgomery Ward, Mays company, had been in charge of distributing and buying coloring books for children during Christmas. They picked May to create the story because of his knack at writing children's story's and limericks.

His goal was to create a reindeer whose flaw made him something special. As a a child May was very insecure and shy because of the constant ridicule he endured about his small size. He wanted to make Rudolph suffer from the same ridicule by others just like him, but in the end have his flaw become something others wish they had. "All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names, they never let poor Rudolph, play in any reindeer games." So May decided to give Rudolph a shiny and bright red nose. He decided to call the reindeer Rudolph because his other two options, Rollo and Reginald, didn't fit the character as well. In May's story the original Rudolph was not one of Santa's reindeer's and never lived at the North Pole. He lived in a normal reindeer village with a normal reindeer life.

His parents loved and accepted him for his bright red nose.

One night Santa came to their house to drop off presents. It was when Santa entered their house he realized a bright red light was shinning from Rudolph's room. The night was too foggy for Santa and his reindeer to fly back so he decided to ask Rudolph to guide him and his reindeer through the fog to the North Pole.

Continued...

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