Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
There have been many versions of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer story but the most well-known was the stop-motion animation television special produced by Rankin Bass, which first aired Sunday,
December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States. As the producers of the special only had the song as source material and
did not have a copy of the original book, they interpolated an original
story around the central narrative of the song, one that differed from
the book. This re-telling chronicles Rudolph's social rejection among his peers
and his decision to run away from home. Rudolph is accompanied by a
similarly outcast elf named Hermey, who skipped elf practice to become a
dentist, along with a loud, boisterous, eager prospector named Yukon
Cornelius who was in search of wealth. Additional original characters
include Rudolph's love interest, Clarice; the antagonistic "Abominable
Snow Monster"; and, as narrator, the living Sam the Snowman. Since 1972 the special has
aired on CBS several times during each years Christmas and Holiday
season. Rudolph and his friends have been loved by many generations of children and also adults.
