Rudolph the red nosed reindeer was created by Robert L. May. He first appeared in a 1939 booklet published by Montgomery Ward for its Christmas giveaway promotion. Prior to the booklet, Montgomery Ward was giving away coloring books and it was more economical for them to publish their own booklet.
Montgomery Ward was reported to have distributed 2.5 million of the booklets that year alone. The book featured the familiar story of Rudolph and how he became the lead reindeer of Santa Claus' sleigh.
Approximately ten years later, the song Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was recorded and since then has become one of the most popular holiday songs. The song was written by Johnny Marks, who was May's brother in law.
The song was first sung commercially by Harry Brannon on November 1949 before Gene Autry's recording came out that same year and became the number 1 song for the holiday season.
Rudolph has since been considered a Christmas icon next in popularity to Santa Claus. The embedded video below is a cartoon based on the original story of May. This version is the reissued version with the popular song inserted. It is written by Robert May and Joe Stultz, and directed by Max Fleischer.
