Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Official release poster
Genre	Christmas, Animation, Family, Comedy
Written by	Romeo Muller
Directed by	Larry Roemer
Narrated by	Burl Ives
Composer(s)	Johnny Marks
Country of origin	United States Canada Japan
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Arthur Rankin, Jr.
Cinematography	Tadahito Mochinaga
Running time	55 minutes
Production company(s)	Videocraft International
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	December 6, 1964 (1964-12-06)
Chronology
Followed by	Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a classic 1964 Christmas stop-motion animated TV special. It was made by Videocraft International, Ltd., which later became Rankin/Bass Productions. The show first aired on December 6, 1964, on the NBC network in the United States.

This special is based on the famous song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Johnny Marks. The song itself was inspired by a poem written in 1939 by Robert L. May. Since 1972, the special has been shown on CBS. In 2005, CBS released a new, clearer version of the show.

Like other holiday favorites such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph is shown many times during the Christmas and holiday season. It has been on TV every year since 1964, making it the longest-running Christmas TV special in the USA! In 2014, the show celebrated its 50th anniversary. The United States Postal Service even released special postage stamps featuring Rudolph.

What is the Story of Rudolph?

The story begins with Donner, Santa's lead reindeer, and his wife. They have a new baby fawn named Rudolph. Everyone is surprised because Rudolph was born with a bright, glowing red nose! Donner tries to hide Rudolph's nose with mud and then a fake nose so he will fit in with the other reindeer.

The next spring, Rudolph goes to the reindeer games. This is where young fawns learn to fly. Santa watches them to pick future sleigh team members. Rudolph meets a girl reindeer named Clarice. She tells him he is cute, which makes Rudolph so happy that he flies! But while he is celebrating, his fake nose falls off. The other reindeer make fun of him, and Coach Comet sends him away.

Rudolph then meets Hermey, an elf who doesn't like making toys. Hermey wants to be a dentist! They also meet Yukon Cornelius, a prospector who is always looking for silver and gold. After escaping the scary Abominable Snow Monster, the three friends land on the Island of Misfit Toys.

This island is a home for toys that are unloved or unwanted. Their leader is King Moonracer, a winged lion. He brings toys to the island until they can find children who will love them. The king lets Rudolph and his friends stay for one night. He asks them to tell Santa to find homes for the misfit toys. Rudolph leaves the island alone. He worries that his bright nose will put his new friends in danger.

Time passes, and Rudolph grows up. He returns home to find that his parents and Clarice have been looking for him. He learns they are being held captive in the Abominable's cave. Rudolph tries to save Clarice, but the monster knocks him down. Hermey and Yukon arrive with a plan. Hermey tricks the monster by making pig sounds. Yukon knocks the monster out, and Hermey pulls out all its teeth! Yukon then pushes the toothless monster over a cliff and falls with it.

Rudolph, Hermey, Clarice, and the Donners return home. Everyone apologizes to them. Soon, Yukon returns with the Abominable monster, who is now friendly! The monster is even trained to trim Christmas trees. Yukon explains that the monster's bouncing ability saved both their lives.

On Christmas Eve, a big snowstorm hits. Santa thinks he will have to cancel Christmas. But then he sees Rudolph's bright nose! Santa changes his mind and asks Rudolph to lead his sleigh. Rudolph agrees. Their first stop is the Island of Misfit Toys. Santa delivers all the toys to children who will love them.

Who are the Voice Actors?

Hermey and Rudolph, two of the main characters.

Many talented actors gave voices to the characters in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:

Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman
Larry Mann as Yukon Cornelius
Billie Mae Richards as Rudolph
Paul Soles as Hermey
Stan Francis as Santa Claus and King Moonracer
Alfie Scopp as Fireball, various male elves, and Charlie-in-the-Box
Janis Orenstein as Clarice
Paul Kligman as Donner and Comet
Carl Banas as Head Elf, the Misfit Elephant, and various Misfit Toys
Corinne Conley as Dolly for Sue
Peg Dixon as Mrs. Claus and Mrs. Donner
Bernard Cowan as the Bumble and Clarice's father (uncredited)

How Was Rudolph Made?

The TV special was written by Romeo Muller. He added new characters inspired by the song. Muller later said he wished he could have based the story on Robert L. May's original poem, but he couldn't find a copy.

Most of the voice actors were from Canada. This was because Canada still had many radio dramas being made, so there were lots of talented actors. Also, it was cheaper to produce the show in Canada. Burl Ives, who narrated the special as Sam the Snowman, recorded his parts later. He was added to the cast because NBC and General Electric wanted a famous name in the show. The character Sam the Snowman was even designed to look like Burl Ives!

Arthur Rankin, Jr. and his team at Rankin/Bass in New York City created the script, designs, and storyboards. The special's unique stop-motion animation, called "Animagic," was filmed in Tokyo, Japan. Tadahito Mochinaga oversaw the animation. He and his Japanese team also worked on other Rankin/Bass stop-motion shows in the 1960s.

There were a few interesting mistakes in the original production. Billie Mae Richards, who voiced Rudolph, was credited as "Billy Richards." This was because the creators didn't want people to know a woman played the part. Also, the copyright notice had a typo in the year. It said MCLXIV (1164) instead of MCMLXIV (1964) in Roman numerals. This mistake might have made the copyright weaker.

What Happened to the Original Puppets?

The people who made the show didn't realize how valuable the stop-motion puppets would become. Many of them were not saved. Nine puppets, including Santa and young Rudolph, were given to a secretary. She gave them to her family, and eventually, seven were thrown away.

In 2005, the two remaining puppets of Rudolph and Santa were shown on the TV show Antiques Roadshow. They were valued at $8,000 to $10,000. The puppets had been damaged over the years. A toy collector named Kevin Kriess bought them in 2005. In 2007, he had them carefully restored. The puppets have been shown at events since then. In 2020, they were sold at an auction for $368,000! They were later donated to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia.

Burl Ives was the only actor who received money each year the show aired, called "residuals." Other actors, like Paul Soles and Billie Mae Richards, only received a small amount of money in the first few years. The show has made millions of dollars since then. Richards said in 2000 that her pay was a "sore subject," but she was happy to be part of something that had such a big impact on people.

Musical Songs in Rudolph

The songs for the special were written by Johnny Marks. Maury Laws created the background music. The soundtrack includes songs written just for the film, as well as other holiday tunes by Marks like "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Many songs are used as themes for characters. For example, "Silver and Gold" is for Yukon Cornelius, and "Jingle, Jingle, Jingle" is for Santa.

In 1964, an LP record of the soundtrack was released. It had the songs from the special, but Burl Ives re-recorded his parts. The soundtrack was certified Gold in 2004, meaning it sold over 500,000 copies.

Different Versions of the Special

Over the years, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been shown with some changes.

Original 1964 Broadcast

The very first time it aired on NBC, it included the NBC "living color" peacock logo. The end credits showed an elf dropping presents with all the technical details. It also had commercials for GE appliances, featuring the same animated elves. This version did not show Santa going to the Island of Misfit Toys. It did include a scene where Yukon Cornelius finds a peppermint mine near Santa's workshop.

Changes from 1965 to 1997

In 1965, a new song called "Fame and Fortune" was added for Rudolph and Hermey. It replaced their song "We're a Couple of Misfits." Viewers of the 1964 show complained that Santa didn't visit the Misfit Toys. So, a new scene was made where Santa makes his first stop at the island to pick up the toys. This ending has been used ever since. Over time, some scenes were cut to make room for more commercials, like parts of "We Are Santa's Elves" and the "Peppermint Mine" scene.

Recent Broadcasts

In 1998, most of the cut scenes were put back, and "Fame and Fortune" was replaced with the original "We're a Couple of Misfits" again. Since 2005, CBS has re-inserted "Fame and Fortune," but with the music from "We're a Couple of Misfits." The special is still edited to fit more commercials.

In 2019, Freeform started airing the special. Their version includes more of the original material that CBS had cut, like the "Peppermint Mine" scene.

Home Video Releases

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been released on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, and Blu-ray over the years. The versions released for home viewing often combine parts of the different TV broadcasts. They usually follow the original 1964 NBC broadcast up to the "Peppermint Mine" scene. Then, they switch to the 1965 ending where Santa visits the Island of Misfit Toys.

In 2014, a 50th-anniversary edition was released on Blu-ray and DVD.

Soundtrack Album

In 1964, an LP record of the soundtrack was released. It had the songs from the special. However, Burl Ives re-recorded his songs for the album. The album was re-released on CD in 1995. In 2004, the soundtrack was certified Gold, meaning it sold over 500,000 copies.

Burl Ives also re-recorded "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for his 1965 album Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.

Merchandise and Video Games

Books and other items related to the show sometimes misspell "Hermey" as "Herbie." However, the original scripts show the correct spelling is "Hermey."

A video game based on the special was released in 2010 for the Wii and Nintendo DS. The Wii version received very low ratings.

The Mystery of Dolly for Sue

Dolly for Sue, a character from the television special (1964).

Dolly for Sue is a supporting character from the special. She looks like a normal rag doll, which made fans wonder why she was on the Island of Misfit Toys for almost 50 years. Some people thought it was because she was missing a nose. Others believed she was added just to have a girl toy among the mostly boy toys on the island.

In the early 2000s, Arthur Rankin Jr., one of the creators, hinted that Dolly was a last-minute addition. He also suggested her reason for being there might be "psychological."

The mystery was finally solved in 2007. Rankin himself explained in an interview that Dolly was on the island because she was "clinically depressed." She felt abandoned after her owner cast her off, similar to characters in Pixar’s Toy Story.

What are the Rudolph Sequels?

The Rankin/Bass special inspired several TV sequels:

Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976): This special first aired on ABC and is still shown every year.
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979): This was a feature-length special that brought Rudolph together with Frosty the Snowman.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001): This was a computer-animated film released directly to video. Rankin/Bass was not involved in making this movie.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - 4D Attraction (2016): A 10-minute stop-motion story made as a 4D movie for special attractions.
T.E.A.M. Rudolph and the Reindeer Games (2018): A short film based on a book, included with the original film's Blu-ray release.

Rudolph in Pop Culture

Because Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is shown every year, and its stop-motion style is easy to copy, it has been used in many parodies and homages.

Parodies by Corky Quakenbush

Animator Corky Quakenbush has made funny versions of Rudolph for TV shows:

In 1995, MADtv aired "Raging Rudolph," which was a parody of Martin Scorsese's films. Sam the Snowman narrated a story where Rudolph and Hermey got violent revenge. This was followed by two sequels, "The Reinfather" and "A Pack of Gifts Now."
An episode of That '70s Show in 2001 showed a dream sequence where Kelso appeared in stop-motion with Rudolph and Santa.
In 2005, George Lopez featured an animated part where Lopez saw a stop-motion version of himself in a Rudolph-style special.

Other Parodies and Homages

In The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Jack Skellington looks at a Rudolph book to understand Christmas. Later, his ghost dog Zero's glowing pumpkin nose helps him guide the sleigh, just like Rudolph's nose.
Chel White directed two parodies for Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse:
- In 2001, Sam the Snowman refused to narrate the story because of the September 11 attacks. Santa convinced him that people needed comforting stories.
- In 2004, a TV Funhouse segment showed Santa hanging out with liberal celebrities and skipping over "Red states." Rudolph's red nose turned blue.
In 2004, for Rudolph's 40th anniversary, CBS made stop-motion promos featuring their TV stars as elves, like Jeff Probst from Survivor and Ray Romano from Everybody Loves Raymond.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 often made jokes about the special, like Rudolph's line, "I'm cute!! I'm cuute!! She said I'm cuuuuuutte!!!!"

Rudolph in Advertisements

In 1964, Rankin & Bass made commercials for General Electric that aired with the special.
In 2007, the Aflac insurance company had a commercial where Rudolph had a cold. Santa told his friends about Aflac, and the Aflac duck filled in for Blitzen when he got sick.
In 2009, Verizon showed a commercial with the Misfit Toys and an AT&T phone. The toys found out the phone was a misfit because of its poor 3G coverage.
Starting in 2011, Bing.com commercials featured Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, Hermey, and the Bumble in stop-motion style.
A 2012 commercial for Windows Phone showed the Bumble speed-dating and getting advice from friends.
A 2013 commercial for Nissan showed Santa's Elves, including Hermey, making Nissan cars. The Bumble even test-drove one.
In 2014, CBS celebrated the special's 50th anniversary with Rudolph and Sam the Snowman visiting cast members from The Big Bang Theory and NCIS.
In 2014, the United States Postal Service used Rudolph, Hermey, Yukon Cornelius, and Bumble on Christmas stamps.
Since 2015, the Rudolph characters have appeared in commercials for AT&T with a stop-motion version of their spokesperson, Lily Adams.

Images for kids

The incorrect copyright notice, reading MCLXIV (1164) instead of MCMLXIV (1964)