The Notoriety Of Rudolf
You cannot mention Christmas without thinking about a few key characters, Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer, being one such Christmas symbol.
This idea of a young buck, and his shinning red-nose, leading Santa’s sleigh at night has wheedled itself into Christmas lore, making Rudolf as iconic as St. Nick himself. However, this level of fame was far from even the wildest dreams of department store company, Montgomery Ward, when they commissioned author Robert Lewis May, to write a children’s Christmas book for their stores.
‘Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer’ was a short, fun loving, children’s book given out for free to over two million children who visited Montgomery Ward stores, during the Christmas period of 1939.
Evidentially the story was well received, with children and parents alike falling in love with the tale, and adopting many of its themes into Christmas culture. Forgotten where the names of the traditional reindeer who pulled Santa’s sleigh, quickly replaced by the reindeer characters of May’s creative talent.
The book was commissioned for ongoing publication following the end of the seasonal giveaway, thanks to its popularity, and made Robert L. May a household name in America. Helping the story to cross oceans, May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, saw the popularity of the tale and wrote the well-known song based on the books characters, which became a Christmas classic of its own right.
Though some bucked against the idea, America’s infatuation with the character meant that soon Hollywood, and much of modern Christmas culture, was awash with Rudolf themes which spilled onto the television sets of British homes and the products on European shelves.
Now many cannot imagine Christmas without Rudolf. From the countless films made in his honour, to the fact that so many take his creation and existence within Christmas traditions for granted, Rudolf stands as testament to the incredible power of stories.
Robert L. May experienced this first hand. His short, care-free children’s novel, became a national sensation, quickly adopted by many overseas, before finally becoming a fact of Christmas itself.
A level of success rarely heard about with more modern literature, Rudolf shows us why writing is so important. The impact of this short book, handed out to children for free, has gone on to last generations, and will likely last many more hereafter. It is a story many of us know well, and which continues to resonate with its target audience.
Though it cannot be denied that May’s talent as a story teller is the key part of this tales success we cannot escape the magic of the holidays, and the power they have to launch budding author’s careers.
As with all great traditions and fables, someone must have come up with the story at some point, and though many of these things are too old to trace back to their original authors, all budding writers should remember that Rudolf’s are possible for anyone.
