A scene from the 1964 Us Christmas classic, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", where Rudolph and Hermey sing the song "We're a Couple of Misfits".
RUDOLPH the Red-Nosed Reindeer is so deeply woven into Christmas tradition that it feels as "ancient" as Santa Claus himself.
The beloved underdog reindeer with his glowing nose has inspired a chart-topping song, a classic television special and countless festive decorations that appear every December without fail.
But could this seemingly timeless Christmas legend have actually begun as nothing more than a corporate marketing campaign designed to lure shoppers into spending money?
Verdict:
TRUE
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was indeed created in 1939 as a promotional giveaway for Montgomery Ward, a Chicago-based US department store chain.
The story behind Rudolph's creation is surprisingly corporate yet oddly touching.
For several years, Montgomery Ward had been purchasing colouring books from third-party companies to give away to children during the Christmas season.
The free books were handed out by store Santas as a way to entice parents to visit and shop at Montgomery Ward locations across the country.
In 1939, nearing the end of the Great Depression, the company decided it would be more cost-effective to create its own book rather than continue buying them.
The task fell to 34-year-old Robert L. May, a copywriter working in Montgomery Ward's advertising department.
May was not living his dream. A graduate of Dartmouth College who had once hoped to write the great American novel, he instead found himself writing catalogue copy describing men's white shirts.
His personal life was equally difficult. His young wife Evelyn was bedridden, losing her battle with cancer, and May was drowning in medical bills while caring for their four-year-old daughter Barbara.
Despite being offered the chance to pass the assignment to someone else, given his circumstances, May threw himself into the project.
He drew inspiration from his own childhood experiences of being bullied for his small stature and shyness, as well as from the tale of The Ugly Duckling.
The result was a story about a misfit reindeer with a glowing red nose who ultimately proves his worth.
May briefly considered naming his character Rollo or Reginald before settling on Rudolph.
He wrote the story in rhyming verse, modelled after "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (better known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas"), and used his daughter Barbara as his test audience.
When May presented the idea to his bosses, they were initially sceptical.
In 1930s popular culture, a bright red nose was closely associated with chronic alcoholism and drunkards, making the concept seem inappropriate for a children's book.
To convince management, May enlisted Denver Gillen from Montgomery Ward's art department.
The pair visited Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, where Gillen sketched real reindeer, creating illustrations of an adorable, bouncy character.
The cute drawings won over the executives, and the project received approval.
Tragically, May's wife died on July 28, 1939, while he was still working on the story.
May later recalled needing Rudolph more than ever during that painful period, burying himself in the writing as a form of solace.
Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" during the 1939 Christmas season, shattering all records for any first edition of any book.
The response was overwhelming, with letters pouring in from children, teachers and store managers across the country.
Publication paused during World War II due to paper shortages, but in 1946 Montgomery Ward distributed a further 3.6 million copies.
By then, over six million copies had been given away.
However, because May had created Rudolph while employed by Montgomery Ward, the company owned the copyright.
Despite the story's success, May could not profit from his creation and remained burdened by debt from his late wife's medical bills.
In 1947, something remarkable happened.
When RCA Victor approached May about creating a spoken-word recording of the story, he had to decline because he did not own the rights.
Word of the offer reached Montgomery Ward president Sewell Avery, who made an extraordinary decision: he gave May the copyright to Rudolph, free and clear.
May's daughter Barbara later told NPR that the company executives must not have realised what they were giving away.
"It was just this silly little almost-booklet," she said.
Armed with the copyright, May quickly moved to capitalise on his creation.
In 1947, a publisher released Rudolph in hardcover, printing 100,000 copies that sold for 50 cents each.
May then partnered with his brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, to create a musical adaptation.
The song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was recorded by singing cowboy Gene Autry in 1949 and became a massive hit, selling 2.5 million copies that year alone and eventually around 25 million copies in total.
The song reached number one on the Billboard pop singles chart during Christmas week of 1949.
Rudolph's popularity exploded from there.
A 1948 cartoon directed by Max Fleischer brought the character to film. In 1964, the stop-motion television special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" made its debut on NBC, becoming a beloved annual tradition in the United States that continues to this day.
May's financial future was finally secure.
He was able to pay off his debts and eventually quit his job at Montgomery Ward, though he did return to work there again nearly a decade later before retiring in 1971.
May died from cancer in 1976 at age 71, having received royalties from hundreds of Rudolph products.
The irony is delicious: Montgomery Ward, which created Rudolph as a cost-saving marketing tool, filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and went out of business after 128 years.
Yet Rudolph, the character born purely to sell merchandise and lure shoppers into stores, has outlived the company that created him and become an enduring symbol of Christmas itself.
So yes, Rudolph absolutely started as a department store advertisement, but he transcended his commercial origins to become something far more meaningful: a story about tolerance, perseverance and how outcasts can triumph over adversity.
Not bad for what began as a corporate cost-cutting measure.
References:
1. https://www.si.edu/stories/
2. https://www.si.edu/
3. https://www.npr.org/2015/12/
3. https://www.fastcompany.com/
4. https://www.
6. https://chicagology.com/
