The Message Of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
What is it about Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, that we
all love? It is partly the undeniable underdog appeal that
makes him the most popular of all Santa's nine flying
reindeers. Most people can identify with poor Rudolph.
Most of us can point to a perceived flaw. Many of us have
been teased about it. Also, Rudolph is the cutest reindeer
of all. That could be a contributing factor to his
popularity.
The story of Rudolph, whose glowing red nose made him a
legend, first appeared in 1939. Montgomery Ward's
department store distributed approximately 2 million
booklets with the poem, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
It was written by Robert L. May, who worked in the
store's advertisement department. Of course, like any ad,
its intent was to bring more people into the store.
When the booklet was reissued shortly after, sales soared
to more than 3.5 million copies. But it wasn't until a
decade later, in 1949, that the story gained huge
popularity when Gene Autry sang a musical version of the
fable. It is deemed the second most
popular Christmas song. The song, "White Christmas" is
the most popular Christmas song.
Rudolph, the ninth reindeer whose lighted nose guides
Santa's sleigh through the night, is known worldwide.
The story has been translated into more than 20
languages. An animated television movie based on the
story was created in the 1960s. Rudolph and his unique
nose has become the subject of jokes. That fella has
sparked a lot of interest in reindeers.
Along with the catchy rhythm of the lyrics, Rudolph's
story is also appealing because of the moral lessons it
contains. As the story goes, Rudolph was ostracized by the
other reindeers. They laughed and teased him about his
shiny red nose. One foggy Christmas eve, Santa was
concerned that he may not be able to deliver his
Christmas gifts around the world. The fog was very thick.
Not sure what to do, Santa spotted Rudolph and got an
idea. Santa asked Rudolph if he would step to the front of
the sleigh to "guide my sleigh tonight". Santa reasoned
that Rudolph's shiny red nose would be very useful in
lighting the way. From then on "all of the other reindeers
loved him". As the fable and song predicted, Rudolph did
indeed "go down in history".
One moral lesson is that an attribute that is perceived as
negative might actually be an asset. It also makes the
point that an individual should not let the negative
reaction of others define him or her. Others do not know
your potential, nor the odds of reaching it. Many would
rather demean than believe you are capable. Many are just
jealous of the flaw or its potential benefit
but try to convince themselves that they are not by
speaking ill of the "defect". It also illustrates how
quickly opinions and attitudes can change based on results
that contradict preconceptions. Yet, in reality, many
never seem to learn the folly of rushing to judgments.
The question still lingers, however, of where Rudolph came
from. He is commonly regarded as the son of Donner
(or Donder), one of the original eight reindeers. But
Snopes.com rejects this. They claim that Rudolph lived in
a reindeer village elsewhere. In their account, Santa,
who had just started on his Christmas Eve journey, saw
Rudolph. At that moment he asked Rudolph to become part
of the team (to help him see better).
Wikipedia.com mentions an update on the Rudolph story. The
update is an animation put out by the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC). In the animation Rudolph has a son,
named Robbie. That son becomes the tenth reindeer. Few
people have heard of this update.
By the way, the idea of Santa's sleigh being pulled by
reindeers originated in the poem, "Twas The Night Before
Christmas". The poem tells the story of St. Nicholas
(Santa) riding in his sleigh and calling his eight tiny
reindeers by their names.
In the fable, Santa and his sleigh land on a house. Santa
goes down the chimney, fills the stockings and
then places presents under the Christmas tree. When Santa
has completed the task he goes up the chimney, gets back
on his sleigh and drives off into the night exclaiming,
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night". We are
not sure if that house is the last house in the
neighborhood or the last house of the night. The book
does not mention that poor ole Santa probably had to
repeat this process a few million more times before
calling it a night once and for all.
http://ResearchOnKids.com
What is it about Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, that we
all love? It is partly the undeniable underdog appeal that
makes him the most popular of all Santa's nine flying
reindeers. Most people can identify with poor Rudolph.
Most of us can point to a perceived flaw. Many of us have
been teased about it. Also, Rudolph is the cutest reindeer
of all. That could be a contributing factor to his
popularity.
The story of Rudolph, whose glowing red nose made him a
legend, first appeared in 1939. Montgomery Ward's
department store distributed approximately 2 million
booklets with the poem, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
It was written by Robert L. May, who worked in the
store's advertisement department. Of course, like any ad,
its intent was to bring more people into the store.
When the booklet was reissued shortly after, sales soared
to more than 3.5 million copies. But it wasn't until a
decade later, in 1949, that the story gained huge
popularity when Gene Autry sang a musical version of the
fable. It is deemed the second most
popular Christmas song. The song, "White Christmas" is
the most popular Christmas song.
Rudolph, the ninth reindeer whose lighted nose guides
Santa's sleigh through the night, is known worldwide.
The story has been translated into more than 20
languages. An animated television movie based on the
story was created in the 1960s. Rudolph and his unique
nose has become the subject of jokes. That fella has
sparked a lot of interest in reindeers.
Along with the catchy rhythm of the lyrics, Rudolph's
story is also appealing because of the moral lessons it
contains. As the story goes, Rudolph was ostracized by the
other reindeers. They laughed and teased him about his
shiny red nose. One foggy Christmas eve, Santa was
concerned that he may not be able to deliver his
Christmas gifts around the world. The fog was very thick.
Not sure what to do, Santa spotted Rudolph and got an
idea. Santa asked Rudolph if he would step to the front of
the sleigh to "guide my sleigh tonight". Santa reasoned
that Rudolph's shiny red nose would be very useful in
lighting the way. From then on "all of the other reindeers
loved him". As the fable and song predicted, Rudolph did
indeed "go down in history".
One moral lesson is that an attribute that is perceived as
negative might actually be an asset. It also makes the
point that an individual should not let the negative
reaction of others define him or her. Others do not know
your potential, nor the odds of reaching it. Many would
rather demean than believe you are capable. Many are just
jealous of the flaw or its potential benefit
but try to convince themselves that they are not by
speaking ill of the "defect". It also illustrates how
quickly opinions and attitudes can change based on results
that contradict preconceptions. Yet, in reality, many
never seem to learn the folly of rushing to judgments.
The question still lingers, however, of where Rudolph came
from. He is commonly regarded as the son of Donner
(or Donder), one of the original eight reindeers. But
Snopes.com rejects this. They claim that Rudolph lived in
a reindeer village elsewhere. In their account, Santa,
who had just started on his Christmas Eve journey, saw
Rudolph. At that moment he asked Rudolph to become part
of the team (to help him see better).
Wikipedia.com mentions an update on the Rudolph story. The
update is an animation put out by the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC). In the animation Rudolph has a son,
named Robbie. That son becomes the tenth reindeer. Few
people have heard of this update.
By the way, the idea of Santa's sleigh being pulled by
reindeers originated in the poem, "Twas The Night Before
Christmas". The poem tells the story of St. Nicholas
(Santa) riding in his sleigh and calling his eight tiny
reindeers by their names.
In the fable, Santa and his sleigh land on a house. Santa
goes down the chimney, fills the stockings and
then places presents under the Christmas tree. When Santa
has completed the task he goes up the chimney, gets back
on his sleigh and drives off into the night exclaiming,
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night". We are
not sure if that house is the last house in the
neighborhood or the last house of the night. The book
does not mention that poor ole Santa probably had to
repeat this process a few million more times before
calling it a night once and for all.
http://ResearchOnKids.com
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