Rudolph Was Invented as a Department Store Giveaway

Before Rudolph guided Santa's sleigh through pop culture history, he was a marketing assignment. In 1939, Chicago-based Montgomery Ward department store asked copywriter Robert L. May to create an original Christmas story they could give away to shoppers—a cost-saving move since they'd been buying and distributing holiday booklets for years.

May, then 34, drew inspiration from The Ugly Duckling and his own childhood experiences of being bullied for being small and shy. He crafted the tale of a misfit reindeer ostracized for his glowing red nose—a physical abnormality that ultimately saved Christmas.

The Name Game

Finding the right name wasn't easy. May wanted something alliterative but authentic. Rollo felt too cheerful for a story about an outcast. Reginald sounded too British. Rudolph struck the perfect balance.

The gamble paid off spectacularly. Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies in that first year alone. By 1946, over 6 million copies had been handed out to holiday shoppers.

From Giveaway to Cultural Icon

The story took on new life in 1949 when May's brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, adapted it into the now-famous song. Gene Autry's recording became one of the best-selling singles of all time.

There's a bittersweet twist to May's creation. He wrote Rudolph while his wife was dying of cancer, racking up substantial medical bills. In 1947, Montgomery Ward's president made an extraordinary gesture: he transferred the copyright to May, allowing the struggling copywriter to profit from his creation. The decision changed May's life—royalties from Rudolph helped him pay off his debts and secure his family's future.

What began as a promotional booklet became a defining piece of Christmas mythology, spawning TV specials, movies, songs, and countless merchandise. Not bad for a corporate marketing project.