Show Montgomery Ward, founded by Arron Montgomery Ward (1843-1913), was one of the giants of Chicago’s retail industry. In the 1930s, the company expanded beyond its initial mail-order business. They built hundreds of department stores across the country. Wards found it hard to break into the department store retail, especially in cities with established shopping districts like Chicago’s State Street.
A copywriter named Robert L. May was assigned to create a new coloring book for the stores to pass out for free. The company hoped that creating their own book would save money and give them a unique promotion. That book would become the world-famous Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. May drew upon existing children’s stories and Christmas folklore, along with his own memories and feelings when creating Rudolph. In a later interview, May said “I’d always been the smallest in the
class. Frail, poorly coordinated, I was never asked to join the school teams.”
May grafted those memories of ostracization onto a story inspired by The Ugly Duckling. He also drew upon the wildly popular poem “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.” It provided the rhyming meter used in Rudolph and helped May decide upon using a reindeer in his story. May’s four-year-old daughter, Barabara, was also part of his inspiration. She loved going to the Lincoln Park Zoo and seeing
the deer and reindeer were her favorites. Seeing that made May feel certain that kids would like and identify with Rudolph. He also tested out the rhymes on her before publishing. May considered naming the reindeer "Rollo" or "Reginald" before deciding upon using the name "Rudolph."
A recent scholarly paper affirmed that Rudolph's famous red nose is ideal for guidance on a foggy night. Red light carried further in refractive light, which means Santa made a very astute decision in asking Rudolph to lead his sleigh. Before publication, the president of Montgomery Ward hoped that the book would bring “a tremendous amount of Christmas traffic.” The book went far beyond that
and became a staple of Christmas around the country. The store published and distributed 2.4 million copies of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1939. Further publication was impossible because of the war-time limitations on paper. In 1949, May asked with his brother-in-law, the songwriter Johnny Marks, to turn the story into a song. Bing Crosby famously declined to perform it. Into the breach stepped the “singing cowboy” Gene Autry. That version of
the song would hit #1 on the 'Pop' and 'C&W' charts and eventually selling over 25 million copies. It’s still one of the best-selling songs of all time! The book and song made Rudolph into a permanent part of Christmas around the world. SONG Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1949 Gene Autry, featuring the Pinafores. SONG LYRICS You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen The story is now owned by The Rudolph Company, LP and has been adapted in numerous forms including a popular song, the iconic 1964 television special and
sequels, and a feature film and sequel. Character Arts, LLC manages the licensing for the Rudolph Company. In many countries, Rudolph has become a figure of Christmas folklore. 2014 marked the 75th anniversary of the character and the 50th anniversary of the television special. A series of postage stamps featuring Rudolph was issued by the United States Postal Service on November 6, 2014. What department store came up with Rudolph the RedSanta's most famous reindeer got his start in 1939, when a writer for the Montgomery Ward department store used Rudolph to boost profits during the holiday season. Robert May first created the story for his daughter, but then turned it into a promotional booklet at work.
Did Macy's create Rudolph the RedRobert L. May created Rudolph in 1939 as an assignment for Chicago-based Montgomery Ward. The retailer had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money.
Why was Rudolph the RedRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was born out of a department store marketing assignment. Defunct Chicago-based department store Montgomery Ward wanted to pass out free coloring books to children during the holiday shopping season of 1939. Copywriter Robert L. May was tasked with writing a poem to go in the booklets.
When did Rudolph get invented?The story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer began in 1939 with a Jewish Chicago copywriter named Robert May. May worked in the ad department of Montgomery Ward, a department store chain second only to Sears as America's largest retailer.
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