The legend of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is one of the most recognizable additions to Christmas folklore during the twentieth-century. Rudolph is initially scorned for his glowing nose and seen as an outcast by his fellow reindeer until he comes to the aid of Santa Claus one foggy Christmas Eve. The red-nosed reindeer has become an annual symbol of the holiday season. The character of Rudolph, which first appeared in 1939, has been immortalized in song, books, toys, holiday decorations, and several television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) specials.

Rudolph was created in 1939 by Robert May (1905–1976), an advertising copywriter for the Montgomery Ward department-store chain. The store assigned him to compose an original Christmas tale that was to be distributed to shoppers. May based the Rudolph story upon his own childhood experience of being taunted by his schoolmates for...