Dec 18 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Dec 18 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red_Nosed_Reindeer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._May_(Rudolph)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Marks
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/rudolph.asp
http://www.pdcomedy.com/Cartoons/Christmas/Rudolph/RudolphRedNosedReindeer.htm

You know Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen.
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Play in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then all the reindeer loved him
And they shouted out with glee
"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history!"

Thanks to a certain song and a TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer seems to have always been a part of our Christmas folklore. Rudolph came to life in 1939, created as a holiday promotional gimmick by the Montgomery Ward department store chain. Copywriter Robert L. May wrote the story, drawing in part from the tale of The Ugly Duckling, and also from personal experience because he was teased as a child for being shy and small. He created the underdog reindeer, Rudolph, who was teased by the other reindeer because of his physical abnormality: a glowing red nose. As he wrote the story in verse, as a series of rhyming couplets, he read it to his 4 year old daughter, who was thrilled with the story. May’s boss was less thrilled though, concerned that the “red nose” image was too closely associated with drinking and alcoholics. However, artist Denver Gillen’s drawings overcame the boss’ hesitation and the story was accepted. 2.4 million copies of the Rudolph booklet were distributed over the 1939 Christmas season by Montgomery Ward to its customers. Even with paper shortages during World War II, by the end of 1946, 6 million copies had been given away.

May received copyright rights in 1947, and the book “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was printed commercially that year. The following year, a nine-minute cartoon was shown in movie theaters. In 1949, May’s brother-in-law Johnny Marks developed the lyrics and melody for the second best-selling song of all times.

The song as we know it differs from the original song in several ways. In the original story, Rudolph was NOT one of Santa’s reindeer, nor did he live at the North Pole. He lived in a reindeer village, and while he was teased and laughed at due to his shiny red nose, his parents did not view him as a shameful embarrassment. He was brought up in a loving household. Santa did not pick him out from the reindeer herd; instead, while delivering presents on a foggy Christmas-Eve, Santa noticed the glow in Rudolph’s bedroom and asked Rudolph to lead his team so that he could safely deliver the rest of the presents that night.

Craft: Rudolph, reindeer, sleigh
http://www.origami-club.com/en/ Christmas>several reindeer to choose from
http://crafts.kaboose.com/paper-cup-rudolph.html