Rollo the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
Reginald the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
These were the first names of the most famous reindeer of all!
Click for the Words and Music
In 1939, the Montgomery Ward department store in Chicago wanted something for Santa Claus to give out to the children. An advertising copywriter for the store named, Robert May, suggested a poem printed in a booklet that parents could take home and read for the holidays.
May thought of the idea of a shiny-nosed reindeer that helped Santa. Then he had an artist sit at the zoo drawing sketches of reindeer. The executives at Montgomery Ward's approved the sketches and May's poem, but they didn't like the name "Rollo". When May was trying to think of a new name, his 4-year-old daughter voted for "Rudolph" and settled that question forever. During that Christmas season in 1939, 2.4 million copies of the poem were handed out at Montgomery Ward stores across the U.S.
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In 1947, one of May's friends wanted to set the poem to music. Professional singers turned him down until 1949 when Gene Autry agree to record the song. It immediately went to the top of the "Hit Parade" and is second only to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" as the best selling record of all time.
Sociologists consider "Rudolph" the only new addition to the folklore of Santa Claus created during the twentieth century.
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