Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Forever Stamp 2014
In 1939, a copywriter at Montgomery Ward came up with a children's book as part of a Christmas promotion. The book, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," became incredibly popular, leading to a song of the same name that turned into a holiday classic. Twenty-five years after the book's debut, Rudolph's story was adapted into a television special. Since its premiere in 1964, this special has been broadcast annually, making it the longest-running Christmas television special ever.
During the 1930s, Montgomery Ward, a retail store based in Chicago, would purchase and distribute coloring books to children each Christmas. In 1939, the company decided to create their own book, assigning the task to copywriter Robert May. May conceived a story centered around a reindeer, initially contemplating names like Rollo and Reginald before settling on Rudolph. While brainstorming, May observed a thick fog over Lake Michigan and was struck by inspiration: a reindeer with a luminous red nose that could shine through the fog.
May frequently discussed the story with his four-year-old daughter, Barbara, adjusting it according to her feedback. He crafted the story as a poem, similar in style to "A Visit from St. Nicholas."
Nearly ten years later, Max Fleischer adapted the story into a cartoon to promote Montgomery Ward. In 1949, May's brother-in-law transformed the poem into a song, famously performed by Gene Autry. This version, though slightly different from the book, became the top Christmas song that year, selling 2.5 million copies. By the 1980s, it had become the second best-selling record ever. Over the years, Rudolph's tale was also adapted into comic books and another children's book by Little Golden Books.
In 1964, marking the 25th anniversary of the original book, Rankin and Bass adapted the story into a beloved stop-motion animation television special. Unable to find a copy of the book, the producers based their adaptation on the song, adding new characters like Hermey the elf, Yukon Cornelius, Clarice, the Abominable Snow Monster, and Sam the living Snowman.
Despite initial skepticism from Montgomery Ward's executives, who asked if a better idea could be developed, the company agreed to publish May's story. The book was a huge success, selling 2.4 million copies in the first year.
The animation was produced in Tokyo, Japan, with the sound recording done in Toronto, Canada. The 55-minute film debuted on December 6, 1964, and quickly became a classic, airing on television every year since, thus holding the record as the longest-running Christmas special in television history.
Following its success, several sequels were produced, including "Rudolph??s Shiny New Year" (1976), "Rudolph and Frosty??s Christmas in July" (1979), and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys" (2001).
