..........from whence came this red-nosed reindeer named Rudolph. Guesses included the well-know Christmas song, an unknown book, and an ancient legend. The all-knowing Oracle Google was consulted. Turns out Rudolph was a slick 1939 American marketing ploy that exceeded all expectations and then some. Full Wikipedia entry, aka the Gospel Truth, is here. Excerpts here:
Robert L. May created Rudolph in 1939 as an assignment for 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. May considered naming the reindeer "Rollo" and "Reginald" before deciding upon using the name "Rudolph". In its first year of publication, 2.5 million copies of Rudolph's story were distributed by Montgomery Ward.
May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, adapted the story of Rudolph into a song. Gene Autry's recording of the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart the week of Christmas 1949. Autry's recording sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time until the 1980s.
Just for grins, here's The Singing Cowboy himself:
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