Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a popular Christmas story owned by St. Nicholas Music Inc. that has been sold in numerous forms including a popular song, a television special (done in stop motion animation), and a feature film. Rudolph was created by Robert L. May in 1939 as part of his employment with Montgomery Ward.
Rudolph in the media
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose! And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows! like a light bulb! all of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names, ha ha ha they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games because they were jealous then one foggy Christmas eve Santa came to say, uh uh uh Rudolph with your nose so bright won't you guide my sleigh tonight? Then all the reindeer loved him,as they shouted out with glee! go Rudolph! Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history!!!!!!!!!! because you are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo CUTE!!!!!!!!!!
by kennedy dent
Animated TV special
Main article: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)
The reindeer debuted on NBC in 1964, when Rankin/Bass produced a stop motion animated TV special of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that became a popular hit in itself. This version was re-broadcast many times over the years, even after it was finally released on video. CBS now airs it each year, making it the longest running TV special. The TV special, though based on May's story and Mark's song, contains many additions and alterations to the original story.
It is narrated by Sam the Snowman (Burl Ives), who tells that when Rudolph was first born, he had a red light-up nose. Donner, Rudolph's father, wants to hide it, and does so by covering it with mud so that it's black like any other reindeer's nose. While playing reindeer games with other young reindeer, he befriends a young doe named Clarice. He seems rather popular amongst the other reindeer, until his nose's disguise falls clean off, revealing his red glow. All of the other reindeer — aside from Clarice — ridicule and shun Rudolph. Clarice tries to comfort him, but to no avail. Luckily, Rudolph's not the only one who's different. One elf, Hermey, wants to be a dentist instead of a toy-making elf, and is similarly unaccepted by his peers. Hermey and Rudolph take off together to find where they belong, and meet Yukon Cornelius, an unsuccessful prospector who is seeking silver and gold. They have to beware of the Abominable Snow-monster (whom Yukon refers to as the Bumble), and stumble upon the Island of Misfit Toys, populated with toys such as a "Charlie-in-the-box", a train with square wheels, and a cowboy who rides an ostrich. They want to stay on the island, but King Moon Racer, ruler of the island, says it is for toys only. Hermey and Yukon say the three of them will leave the island in the morning, but Rudolph, figuring his nose will get them in trouble by attracting the snow-monster, decides to set out alone. He arrives at home, but Rudolph's family and Clarice are gone, looking for him. He discovers that they are being held captive by the Bumble, and rejoins his friends to help defeat the frosty fiend. Hermey, with his dentistry skills, helps Rudolph rescue the others by pulling out all the Bumble's teeth. The Bumble still tries to attack — toothless or not — and Yukon tackles the beast...right over the edge of a cliff. When they get back to the North Pole, Rudolph and Hermey are hailed as heroes and apologized to. However, Yukon is sorely missed. That is, until he shows up at Santa's doorstep with the Bumble in tow! Rudolph asks how the two of them survived the fall, and Yukon simply repies, "Didn't I ever tell you about Bumbles? Bumbles bounce!" The toothless Bumble, now reformed puts the star on top of the tree at the Christmas Eve party, in which Rudolph and friends are very welcome. When there is a strong fog, Santa relies on Rudolph as a beacon, and Rudolph gets them to the Island of Misfit Toys and at the end, the toys are given homes (they are dropped out of the sleigh behind the credits via umbrellas).
In 1976, a sequel to the Rankin-Bass original special was produced, entitled Rudolph's Shiny New Year and then a third in 1979 entitled Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. Then in 2001, a a fourth in the series was released titled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Island of Misfit Toys, produced entirely with computer animation, as opposed to traditional stop motion animation; however, care was taken to make the computer-generated characters resemble their stop-motion counterparts from the original special as much as possible.
Animated feature-length film
An animated feature film remake of the story of the legendary Rudolph was produced in 1998, entitled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie, but many believe this version of the story paled in comparison with the Rankin-Bass classic, both in terms of quality and box-office revenue. It only saw a limited theatrical release before quickly being sent to home video.
References
Two BBC animations carry on the legend by introducing Rudolph's son, Robbie the Reindeer. However, Rudolph is never directly mentioned by name (references are replaced by a character interrupting with the phrase "Don't say that name!" or something similar, presumably for copyright reasons[citation needed]).
Satirical references
Mad TV also produced a twisted version of the 1964 classic by incorporating the story into a Martin Scorsese remake reminiscent of The Godfather where the other reindeer were Santa's hitmen and Santa was the ringleader of a snow-based crime syndicate. They entitled it Raging Rudolph.
The Reindeer Monologues are a satirical play in which each of the eight original Reindeer from The Night Before Christmas each perform a monologue. Rudolph does not have a monolouge, due to the fact that he has been molested by Santa. This causes him to have a nervous breakdown.
In the Family Guy episode And the Wiener Is..., Rudolph is told the reason his nose is red is due to a malignant tumour, and not "pixie dust or leprechaun tails" as Rudolph initially hoped for.
In his song Gary, rapper MC Lars created the tale of Rudolph's half-brother Gary the Green-Nosed Reindeer. The song was released on a compilation called A Winter's Night, by Nettwerk Records in 2005.
In one episode of stripes from Bill Amend's comic strip FoxTrot, the Fox family's teenage daughter, Paige, gets a giant red pimple on her nose just before Christmas and is afraid to go to school for fear that her peers will call her "Rudolph." In another series of strips, Paige falls asleep while writing a paper for school and dreams of being transported to the "Land of Animated Christmas Television Specials," where she meets Rudolph and Herbie the elf (from the 1964 TV special), among various other characters from animated holiday TV specials.
In a Christmas episode of the cartoon Robot Chicken, Rudolph was seen alongside characters from Dragonball Z fighting an evil half Frosty the Snowman-half Santa Claus. A laser shoots from Rudolph's nose and Rudolph says "Why the hell do you think it glowed red??"
The MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing refers to the 1964 movies in a few areas, namely their annual "Crimbo" events (a parody of Christmas).
There is a parody called "Dead Eye the Lonesome Cowboy" with the verses:
Dead Eye the Lonesome Cowboy,
Had a very Shiney Gun,
And if you ever saw it,
You would turn around and run.
All of the other cowboys,
Use to laugh and call him names,
They never let poor Dead Eye,
Play in any poker games.
Then one foggy Saturday night,
The Sheriff came to say,
Dead Eye with your gun so bright,
Won't you shoot my wife tonight?
Then all the other cowboys,
Gathered round and shouted with glee,
Dead Eye the Lonesome Cowboy,
Won't you do the same for me?
Gender
Although Rudolf is depicted in texts as male, in most pictures he/she appears as a female. This is because during the winter, male reindeer shed their antlers, and in almost all depictions of rudolf he/she has antlers although it is winter time.
See also
External links
- Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer at Keyframe - the Animation Resource
- History of Rudolph at Urban Legends Reference Pages
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Radio
- The Legendary Role of Reindeer in Christmas
- DollyforSue.com Why is the Doll a Misfit on the Island of Misfit Toys?
- MisfitToys.net Classic Rudolph Christmas Songs, Trivia, Cast
- Youtube Spoof of the Rankin & Bass Rudolph specials