History Franchise / RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer

* ''Literature/RudolphShinesAgain'' [[note]] Originally titled ''Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Shines Again'' [[/note]] (1954): Robert L. May's official follow-up to the 1939 story, illustrated by Marion Guild. The sequel would later get combined with the original 1939 story for [[https://pictures.abebooks.com/inventory/30607388129_3.jpg Rudolph's 25th Anniversary in 1964]]. A Little Golden Book version was released in 1982.

* ''Literature/RudolphShinesAgain'' [[note]] Originally titled "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Shines Again" [[/note]] (1954): Robert L. May's official follow-up to the 1939 story, illustrated by Marion Guild. The sequel would later get combined with the original 1939 story for [[https://pictures.abebooks.com/inventory/30607388129_3.jpg Rudolph's 25th Anniversary in 1964]]. A Little Golden Book version was released in 1982.

Rudolph, since his introduction in 1939 by Robert L. May, has remained one of the most beloved pop-cultural Christmas icons along with Main/SantaClaus, Frosty the Snowman, and [[Franchise/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas the Grinch]] .

Rudolph, since his introduction in 1939 by Robert L. May, has remained one of the most beloved Christmas icons (and well-known holiday icons) along with Main/SantaClaus and Frosty the Snowman.

Rudolph, since his introduction in 1939 by Robert L. May, has remained one of the most beloved Christmas icons (and well-known holiday icons) next to Main/SantaClaus and ''Frosty the Snowman''.

!!Literature

!!Comic Books
* ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1950–62)[[/index]]: Yearly comics about Rudolph published by Creator/DCComics.

!!Music
[[index]]
* "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1949)[[/index]]: The classic song, written by Johnny Marks and first recorded by Music/GeneAutry. In 1959, The Ray Conniff Singers made an extended version of the song with newer lyrics added.
[[index]]
* "Run Rudolph Run" (1958)[[/index]]: Second song about Rudolph, written by Johnny Marks and (debatably) Marvin Brodie and first recorded by Music/ChuckBerry. The song is about Rudolph helping Santa on his annual Christmas Eve journey.
* "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1965): [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5gAJa0JLOg A LP record]] by RCA Camden with narrations by Walter Schuman, Paul Wing, Vaughn Monroe, Gisele [=MacKenzie=], and Dale Evans. It includes a reading of the original Rudolph story, Frosty the Snowman, [[Literature/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas The Night Before Christmas]], Rudolph's Second Christmas, and Suzy Snowflake. The LP Record features Paul Wing reading an early version of Rudolph's Second Christmas.

!!Film
[[index]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeerAndTheIslandOfMisfitToys'' (2001)[[/index]]: An AllCGICartoon direct to video film that is made by Creator/GoodTimesEntertainment but uses the characters of the 1964 special. It acts as an unofficial sequel to the Rankin/Bass special.

!!Ride
[[index]]
* ''Rudolph 4D'', also known as ''Rudolph's Movie Experience'' (2016)[[/index]]: A [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDMovie 3-D Movie]] with in-theater effects that is shown at Ride/BuschGardens, Ride/SeaWorld, and some amusement and theme parks across America during the Christmas season. It's a ShotForShotRemake of the Rankin-Bass special but with more expressive character models (notably for Rudolph and Clarice) and smoother stop-motion animation.

!!Western Animation
[[index]]

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The TropeNamer. Rudolph is ostracized by others for having a glowing, red nose instead of the normal black. Happily, the 1964 special (Clarice) alongside ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' (an unnamed female reindeer and penguin) and the 1998 movie (Zoey) does feature female reindeer not minding Rudolph's red nose.

* ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1949)[[/index]]: The classic song, written by Johnny Marks and first recorded by Music/GeneAutry. In 1959, The Ray Conniff Singers made an extended version of the song with newer lyrics added.

* ''Run Rudolph Run'' (1958)[[/index]]: Second song about Rudolph, written by Johnny Marks and (debatably) Marvin Brodie and first recorded by Music/ChuckBerry. The song is about Rudolph helping Santa on his annual Christmas Eve journey.

* ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1949)[[/index]]: The classic song, first sung by Music/GeneAutry and written by Johnny Marks. In 1959, The Ray Conniff Singers made an extended version of the song with newer lyrics added.

* ''Run Rudolph Run'' (1958)[[/index]]: Second song about Rudolph written by Johnny Marks (who also written the original song) and Marvin Brodie (debatably) performed by Music/ChuckBerry. The song is about Rudolph helping Santa on his annual Christmas Eve journey.

* ''Literature/{{Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer|1958}}'' (1958): A Literature/LittleGoldenBooks picture book based on the song and very similar to the 1948 short. Creator/RichardScarry did the illustrations for this version of the story. In 1976, the Little Golden Book version gained an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnZ-oDeOW6I audio read-along version by Disneyland Records.]]
* ''The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Book'' (1972) [[note]] Reprinted in 1974 [[/note]]: A Golden Shape Book adaptation by Eileen Daly and illustrated by Milli Jancer. The book is similar to the Richard Scarry version but is notably shorter than the Scarry adaptation.

* ''Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'' (1950-1962)[[/index]]: Yearly comics about Rudolph published by Creator/DCComics.

* ''Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'' (1949)[[/index]]: The classic song, first sung by Music/GeneAutry and written by Johnny Marks. In 1959, The Ray Conniff Singers made an extended version of the song with newer lyrics added.

* ''Literature/RudolphShinesAgain'' [[note]] Originally titled "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Shines Again" [[/note]] (1954): Robert L. May's lofficial follow up to the 1939 story and illustrated by Marion Guild. The sequel would later get combined with the original 1939 story for [[https://pictures.abebooks.com/inventory/30607388129_3.jpg Rudolph's 25th Anniversary in 1964]]. A Little Golden Book version was released in 1982.

* ''Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' (1939): The original Montgomery Ward booklet written by Robert L. May and illustrated by Denver Gillen. The story gained an audio adaptation in 1947 narrated by Paul Wing with music by George Kleinsinger and Russ Case.
* ''Literature/RudolphShinesAgain'' [[note]] Originally titled "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Shines Again" [[/note]] (1954): Robert L. May's official follow up to the 1939 story and illustrated by Marion Guild. The sequel would later get combined with the original 1939 story for [[https://pictures.abebooks.com/inventory/30607388129_3.jpg Rudolph's 25th Anniversary in 1964]]. A Little Golden Book version was released in 1982.
* ''Literature/{{Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer|1958}}'' (1958): A Literature/LittleGoldenBooks picture book based on the song and very similar to the 1948 short. Richard Scarry did the illustrations for this version of the story. In 1976, the Little Golden Book version gained an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnZ-oDeOW6I audio read-along version by Disneyland Records.]]

* ''[[Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939)]]'': The original 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May and illustrated by Denver Gillen. The story gained an audio adaptation in 1947 narrated by Paul Wing with music by George Kleinsinger and Russ Case.

* ShrinkingViolet: In all animated adaptations of the story, Rudolph is very timid, shy, and very quite.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The TropeNamer. Rudolph is ostracized by others for having a glowing, red nose instead of the normal black. Happily the 1964 special (Clarice) alongside ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' (an unnamed female reindeer and penguin) and the 1998 movie (Zoey) does feature female reindeer not minding Rudolph's red nose.
* AnimalGenderBender: Male caribou shed their horns in the winter but Rudolph and the rest of Santa's reindeer don't.

Since his introduction in 1939 by Robert L. May. Rudolph has remained one of the most beloved Christmas icons (and well-known Holiday icons) next to Main/SantaClaus and ''Frosty the Snowman''.

[[caption-width-right:350: Rudolph as illustrated by Creator/RichardScarry (1958)]]

* WhiteTailedReindeer: The Trope Codifier. Rudolph and the other reindeer were depicted as generic-looking deer instead of realistic reindeer in the illustrations for the original pamphlet, and the design has stuck in every adaptation since, probably because it's easier to draw a glowing lightbulb-like nose on a regular deer than an actual reindeer. However, Rudolph and the other reindeer were depicted with light brown fur between a darker shade of brown in non-Rankin/Bass adaptations.

* ''[[Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939)]]'': The original 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May and illustrated by Denver Gillen.

* ''Rudolph's Second Christmas'' (1992): Another story starring Rudolph that was discovered by Robert May's daughters and originally illustrated by Michael Emberley. It was later renamed to "Rudolph to the Rescue'' in 2006 with new illustrations by Lisa Papp. Prior to its official publication, an early version of the story was included in the 1965 LP record narrated by Paul Wing.

* ''Rudolph's Second Christmas'' (1992): Another story starring Rudolph that was discovered by Robert May's daughters and originally illustrated by Michael Emberley. It was later renamed to "Rudolph to the Rescue'' in 2006 with new illustrations by Lisa Papp. Prior to its official publication, the story was included in the 1965 LP record narrated by Paul Wing.

* "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1965): [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5gAJa0JLOg A LP record]] by RCA Camden with narrations by Walter Schuman, Paul Wing, Vaughn Monroe, Gisele [=MacKenzie=], and Dale Evans. It includes a reading of the original Rudolph story, Frosty the Snowman, [[Literature/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas The Night Before Christmas]], Rudolph's Second Christmas, and Suzy Snowflake.

* "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1965): [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5gAJa0JLOg A LP record]] by RCA Camden by Walter Schuman, Paul Wing, Vaughn Monroe, Gisele [=MacKenzie=], and Dale Evans. It includes a reading of the original Rudolph story, Frosty the Snowman, [[Literature/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas The Night Before Christmas]], Rudolph's Second Christmas, and Suzy Snowflake.

* ''Rudolph's Second Christmas'' (1992): Another story starring Rudolph that was discovered by Robert May's daughters and originally illustrated by Michael Emberley. It was later renamed to "Rudolph to the Rescue'' in 2006 with new illustrations by Lisa Papp.

* ''Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'' (1949)[[/index]]: The classic song, first sung by Music/GeneAutry and written by Johnny Marks note . In 1959, The Ray Conniff Singers made an extended version of the song with newer lyrics added.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'' (1948): Rudolph's animation debut, a 8-minute short film by [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Max Fleischer]]. It's a near-identical adaptation of the original booklet and actually predates the song. A 1951 reissue added in the song.

* ''Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'' (1950-1962): Yearly comics about Rudolph published by Creator/DCComics.

* ''Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'' (1949): The classic song, first sung by Music/GeneAutry and written by Johnny Marks note . In 1959, The Ray Conniff Singers made an extended version of the song with newer lyrics added.
* ''Run Rudolph Run'' (1958): Second song about Rudolph written by Johnny Marks (who also written the original song) and Marvin Brodie (debatably) performed by Music/ChuckBerry. The song is about Rudolph helping Santa on his annual Christmas Eve journey.

* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeerAndTheIslandOfMisfitToys'' (2001): An AllCGICartoon direct to video film that is made by Creator/GoodTimesEntertainment but uses the characters of the 1964 special. It acts as an unofficial sequel to the Rankin/Bass special.

* ''Rudolph 4D'', also known as ''Rudolph's Movie Experience'' (2016): A [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDMovie 3-D Movie]] with in-theater effects that is shown at Ride/BuschGardens, Ride/SeaWorld, and some amusement and theme parks across America during the Christmas season. It's a ShotForShotRemake of the Rankin-Bass special but with more expressive character models (notably for Rudolph and Clarice) and smoother stop-motion animation.

Since his introduction in 1939 by Robert L. May. Rudolph remained one of the most beloved Christmas icons (and well-known Holiday icons) next to Main/SantaClaus and ''Frosty the Snowman''.

[[caption-width-right:350: Rudolph as illustrated by Creator/RichardScarry (circa 1958)]]

----

* ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphsLessonsForLife Rudolph's Lessons for Life]]'' (1996): A [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-Video]] [[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6aobcs animated adaptation that was exclusively sold at Montgomery Ward Department stores]] [[EdutainmentShow with some edutainment in the mix]]. The video was produced by Duncan & Hill (a division of HA-LO Industries, Inc) while Joie Scott-Poster and Ted Kay directed this adaptation. This adaptation has two versions, one only focusing on the animated sections and the other has the animated section mixed with live-action actors (a female teacher and a group of children). Both versions are available on the same video.

The titular shy but sweet red-nosed reindeer is no stranger to getting adapted in animated media, books, or songs.

* ''[[Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer (1939)]]'': The original 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May and illustrated by Denver Gillen.

* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphAndFrostysChristmasInJuly'' (1979): A crossover movie with ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman''.