Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
"Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a popular Christmas story, usually recounted in the form of a song:- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Had a very shiny nose
- And if you ever saw him
- You would even say it glows
- All of the other reindeer
- Used to laugh and call him names
- They never let poor Rudolph
- Join 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
- As they shouted out with glee:
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
- You'll go down in history!
Rudolph is depicted as an ordinary reindeer with a large, red nose, often grinning and always leading the team pulling Santa's sleigh.
In 1964, the Rankin-Bass animation studio produced a stop motion animated TV special of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that became a popular hit in itself. Re-broadcast many times over the years until it was finally released on video, this version of the story of Rudolph adds a simple story that introduces the characters of the "Island of Misfit Toys," the Abominable Snowman known as "Bumbles," and the elf who wants to be a dentist.
An animated feature film version of the fictional story of Rudolph was also produced in 1998, entitled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie, but this version of the story paled in comparison with the Rankin-Bass classic, both in terms of quality and box-office revenue. It only saw a limited theatrical release before quickly being sent to home video.
The song is sometimes performed (usually by children) in a humorous manner with additional lyrics. These lyrics are to be recited as a sort of response at the end of most of the lines in the song. Sample lyrics follow (responses in bold):
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer '\(reindeer)'
- Had a very shiny nose (like a light bulb)
- And if you ever saw him (saw him)
- You would even say it glows (like a light bulb)
- All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
- Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio)
- They never let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
- Join in any reindeer games (like Monopoly)
- Then one foggy Christmas Eve
- Santa came to say (Ho-ho-ho!)
- Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
- Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
- Then all the reindeer loved him (loved him)
- As they shouted out with glee: (Yippee!)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, (reindeer)
- You'll go down in history! (like the Presidents)
