History Literature / RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer

* {{Adorkable}}: Rudolph is very sensitive and shy, however that doesn't stop him from keeping the Christmas spirit at home. On Christmas morning, Rudolph immediately start blushing after Santa and the other reindeer congratulate him.

* ''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]]. The video was produced by Duncan & Hill (a division of HA-LO Industries, Inc) while Joie Scott-Poster and Ted Kay directed this adaptation.

* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' (1964): The famous Creator/RankinBassProductions special. It's less true-to-the-text than the 1948 short. It's a stop-motion animation where Rudolph runs away from home and meets an equally ostrasized Christmas elf named Heremy who wants to be a dentist. The special has two sequels: ''Rudolph's Shiny New Year'' (1976) and ''Christmas in July'' (1979), the latter which crosses-over with ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman''.

* ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' (1996): A [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-Video]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26gWd2oxw-E animated adaptation]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyyz9T8VyWo&t=91s that was exclusively]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83EQOTSZbN4 sold at]] Montgomery Ward Department stores. The video was produced by Duncan & Hill (a division of HA-LO Industries, Inc) while Joie Scott-Poster and Ted Kay directed this adaptation.

* ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' (1996): A [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-Video]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26gWd2oxw-E animated adaptation]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyyz9T8VyWo&t=91s that was exclusively]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83EQOTSZbN4 sold at]] Montgomery Ward Department stores. The video was produced by Duncan & Hill (a division of HA-LO Industries, Inc).

* ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' (1996): A [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-Video]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26gWd2oxw-E animated adaptation]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyyz9T8VyWo&t=91s that was exclusively]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83EQOTSZbN4 sold at]] Montgomery Ward Department stores.

* AnimatedAdaptation: The story currently has a total of 4 animated adaptations, with the first being the 1948 cartoon by Max Fleishcher. The last two were a 1996 direct-to-video adaptation by Montgomery Ward and an animated feature film in 1998 by Creator/GoldenFilms. Out of the four adaptations, the 1948 cartoon and the 1996 direct-to-video adaptation are direct adaptations of the original story by Robert May.

* ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' (1996): A Direct-to-Video animated adaptation that was exclusively sold at Montgomery Ward Department stores.

* ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1958): A Little Golden Books 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 the early 1970s, the Little Golden Book version gained an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnZ-oDeOW6I audio real-along version in the early 1970s by Disneyland Records.]]

* ''Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1949): The classic song, first sung by Music/GeneAutry.

* ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1958): A Little Golden Books 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 the early 1970s, the Little Golden Book version gained an audio real-along version in the early 1970s by Disneyland Records.

In 1947, the booklet began mass-production and thus the story started becoming well-known internationally. After an AnimatedAdaptation in 1948 and a hit song in 1948, Rudolph's popularity was cemented. He's only become more and more recognizable over the decades.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer|1948}}'' (1948): 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.

* CivilizedAnimal: Since the story mainly takes places at the North Pole and an unknown location where Rudolph lives (implied to be miles away from the North Pole), the only animals that are present are the reindeer, who all behave like humans and are able to talk. Santa's reindeer are seen eating [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture3_2.PNG while sitting like a humans, complete with handkerchiefs]], Rudolph is seen standing near his bed, and some are seen walking on both four legs and two legs. Reindeer acting more human-like is also seen in the 1948 Max Fleischer cartoon and the 1996 direct-to-video adaptation ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life''. The original Denver Gillen illustrations show a male reindeer smoking a pipe and [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture2_6.PNG Santa passing by Rabbitville]], where he is delivering presents to rabbits.

* ''Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1949): The classic song, first sung by Gene Autry.

Originally, the book was declined. Red noses were [[DrunkenGlow too associated with drunkards]] to make for a charming kid's tell. It's only after the illustrator drew adorable-looking deer that the idea was warmed up to. The booklet was a swimming success and sold over 2 million copies its first year.

->''And do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?''

* ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1958): A Little Golden Books picture book based on the song and very similar to the 1948 short.

* KidHero: Rudolph is just a young buck who has barely grown in his antlers. Despite this, his glowing nose proves an asset to Santa and only ''he'' can help Santa fly in the snow.
* RememberTheNewGuy: At the time of release, Rudolph ''was'' an all-new character, but the song implies that he's a well-known character and even calls him "the most famous reindeer of all". Over the years, Rudolph's popularity has led to him becoming the most iconic of Santa's reindeer.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer|1948}}'' (1948): A 20-minute short film by Fleischer. It's a near-identical adaptation of the original booklet and actually predates the song. A 1951 reissue added in the song.

The origin of the character dates back to TheThirties. The Chicago retailer Montgomery Ward gave away coloring books every Christmas but it was decided that self-publishing their own books would save money. In 1939, Robert L. May created a booklet about a reindeer. While looking out his window into the fog that Chicago is well-known for, he had the idea to write about a reindeer with a glowing red nose. Thus, the story of an ostracized reindeer who gains recognition due to his special nose was born. Robert [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally thought]] of naming the new character "Rollo" or "Reginald", but in the end he decided on "Rudolph".

Originally, the book was declined. Red noses were [[DrunkardGlow too associated with drunks]] to make for a charming kid's tell. It's only after the illustrator drew adorable-looking deer that the idea was warmed up to. The booklet was a swimming success and sold over 2 million copies its first year.

* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' (1964): The famous Rankin/Bass special. It's less true-to-the-text than the 1948 short. It's a stop-motion animation where Rudolph runs away from home and meets an equally ostrasized Christmas elf named Heremy who wants to be a dentist. The special has two sequels: ''Rudolph's Shiny New Year'' (1976) and ''Christmas in July'' (1979), the latter which crosses-over with ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman''.

Since the original booklet's release, Rudolph has become the most iconic of Santa's reindeer, eclipsing the ones from the poem. As a result, he's [[ReferencedBy/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer been referenced]] in numerous media. Rudolph is no exception to TheWikiRule and has his own Wikia.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The TropeNamer. Rudolph is ostrasized by others for having a glowing, red nose instead of the normal black.