Santa Claus's reindeer facts for kids

A parade float with a model of Santa's reindeer and sleigh, with an actor playing Santa, in Toronto in 2009

In popular Christmas stories, Santa Claus's reindeer are special animals. They are said to pull Santa's sleigh through the night sky. This helps Santa Claus deliver gifts to children all around the world on Christmas Eve. The most famous names for these nine reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen, and Rudolph. Sometimes, Donder is also called Donner.

The first eight reindeer became well-known from a famous poem written in 1823. This poem is called A Visit from St. Nicholas, but many people know it as The Night Before Christmas.

How Santa's Reindeer Story Began

For a long time, stories said that Santa Claus had eight reindeer. Their names were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, and Blitzen. You might see Donder spelled as Dunder or Donner. Blitzen might also be spelled Blixen or Blixem.

Later, a very popular Christmas song came out in 1949. It was called "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Because of this song, Rudolph joined the team. This made the total number of Santa's reindeer nine.

The First Reindeer Story

Illustration from "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight", 1821

The very first time we hear about a reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh was in 1821. It was in a children's poem called "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight". This poem was published in New York. We don't know who wrote the poem or drew the pictures.

The poem was a small book with eight colorful pictures. One picture shows a sleigh with the word "REWARDS" on it. This sleigh is being pulled by just one reindeer.

The Eight Reindeer Team

"A Visit From St. Nicholas", handwritten by Clement C. Moore

A poem from 1823 really helped create the Christmas stories we know today. This poem was written by Clement Clarke Moore and is called "A Visit from St. Nicholas". It's also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". This poem is famous for giving names to Santa's eight reindeer.

Here are some lines from the poem:

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
with a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:
"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer, and Vixen!
"On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Dunder and Blixem!

"To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
"Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

The names "Dunder and Blixem" were originally spelled in a Dutch way. They mean "Thunder and Lightning". Later versions of the poem changed them to the German spellings, "Donder and Blitzen".

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

The story of Rudolph was first written as a poem in 1939. It was created by Robert L. May for a department store chain called Montgomery Ward. The store gave out books with Rudolph's story to children at Christmas time.

In this story, Rudolph had a bright, glowing red nose. This made him feel different from the other reindeer. One year, a very thick fog made it hard for Santa to fly his sleigh. When Santa visited Rudolph's house, he saw Rudolph's glowing nose in the dark room. Santa then had a great idea! He asked Rudolph to lead his sleigh and use his nose like a lamp to guide the way. Rudolph agreed, and he became a hero for helping Santa. Since the middle of the 1900s, most people think of Rudolph as Santa's ninth reindeer.

Reindeer in Movies and Songs

Santa's reindeer have appeared in many popular movies, TV shows, and songs.

• In the movie Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Kris Kringle talks about the reindeer. He mentions details about their positions and antlers.
• "Run Rudolph Run" (1958) is a famous Chuck Berry song about Rudolph. It's a popular Christmas rock song.
• The film Prancer (1989) is about a young girl. She finds an injured reindeer and realizes it's Prancer. She helps him get better and returns him to Santa.
• KC and the Sunshine Band wrote a song called Let's Go Dancing With Santa. It was part of their album A Sunshine Christmas.
• The American Christmas movies The Santa Clause (1994) and The Santa Clause 2 (2002) both featured reindeer. One of them was named Comet.

Other Reindeer in Stories

Since the mid-1900s, most people agree that Santa has nine reindeer: the original eight plus Rudolph. However, other movies, TV shows, books, and songs have introduced new reindeer. Sometimes these new reindeer are just temporary helpers. Other times, they are shown as relatives or friends of the main nine reindeer.

Reindeer in Films

• The animated movie Annabelle's Wish (1997) tells the story of Annabelle. She is a young calf who dreams of flying after meeting Santa and his reindeer. When she is old, her wish comes true. She turns into a reindeer and helps lead Santa's team.
• The movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) introduces Mitzi as Rudolph's mother. It also features Rudolph's friend Zoey and his cousin Arrow.
• Chet is a young reindeer who is training to join the team. He appears in the 2002 movie The Santa Clause 2.
• In the film Blizzard (2003), the main character, Blizzard, is Blitzen's daughter. The film also shows Delphi, who is Blitzen's mate and Blizzard's mother.
• In the movie Arthur Christmas (2011), Arthur and his grandfather use a team of reindeer. These reindeer are the great-great-grandchildren of the original eight.
• In the film Noelle (2019), the main character gets help from her own special reindeer. This reindeer is a white calf named Snowcone.

Reindeer in Music

• "Shadrack The Black Reindeer" was a Christmas song recorded by Loretta Lynn in 1974.
• Joe Diffie's album Mr. Christmas (1995) has a song called "Leroy the Redneck Reindeer".
• The Australian band Tripod wrote a song called "Fabian". It's about a very proud reindeer.

Reindeer in Television

• The stop-motion TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) shows Fireball. He is Blitzen's son and tries out for the sleigh team. A young fawn named Clarice also appears and becomes Rudolph's friend.
  • A sequel, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979), introduces a reindeer named Scratcher.
• In Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), the Grinch dresses his dog Max as a reindeer.
• Lightning, from the Sesame Street Christmas special Elmo Saves Christmas (1996), is a reindeer who is learning to fly.
• Olive, the Other Reindeer was a book and a 1999 TV Christmas special. The name is a funny play on words from the Rudolph song.
• In the TV special Robbie the Reindeer (1999), Robbie is thought to be Rudolph's son. His nose has special powers that help him jump and fly very far and fast.
• The TV series My Friends Tigger & Pooh had a special Super Sleuth Christmas Movie (2007). It included Vixen's husband Frost and their daughter Holly.
• The TV special The Flight Before Christmas (2008) features Niko. He is a wild reindeer whose mother says he was fathered by one of Santa's team. His father turns out to be Prancer.
• Thrasher is a very large, secret reindeer in the Disney TV special Prep & Landing (2009). He leads a special team of elves in a sleigh before Santa's main sleigh. Thrasher is Dasher's second cousin.

Images for kids

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  Santa Claus with reindeer at Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania in 2021

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  The eight reindeer, as they appeared in the first publication of Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas in 1823.

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  The eight reindeer, as they appeared in a handwritten manuscript of "A Visit From St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore from the 1860s.

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  As printed in An American Anthology, 1787–1900, between 1900 and 1909.

See also

In Spanish: Renos navideños para niños