Do I look like one of Santa ’s reindeer ? I believe I do ! Maybe not Rudolf , though , because my nozzle is the incorrect color .
Rudolf the Red - nosed Reindeer made his appearing in a brochure written in 1939 by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward Company . May consider calling his red - nosed deer Rollo or Reginald but settled on Rudolph alternatively . Montgomery Ward distributed 2.5 million copy of the booklet in its first class of publication . It ’s since spawn scores of spin - offs in mark , telecasting , movies and song .
May ’s blood brother - in - law , Johnny Marks , was a songwriter who specialized in Christmas songs , among them “ Rockin ’ Around the Christmas Tree , ” “ A Holly Jolly Christmas ” and “ flow Rudolph Run . ” But his most famous birdsong is the one he adapt from May ’s story , “ Rudolph the Red - nosed Reindeer . ” Singing cowherd Gene Autry ’s rendition lead Billboard ’s dada - ace chart in 1949 after sell 2.5 million copies . It eventually sold more than 25 million copy . Wow ! It was later recorded by Bing Crosby , Spike Jones and his City Slickers , Dean Martin , Alvin and the Chipmunks , The Supremes , Chicago , and Ringo Starr to name a few .
Rudolph made his big - screen first appearance in a toon released in 1944 . In 1998,Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer : The Moviewas released and became an instant Christmas hit . Most everyone has seen the invigorate TV special , Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer . It came out in 1964 and has air out intimately every twelvemonth since . Did you know it was filmed in Japan and the sound transcription were made in Toronto ? It ’s an external Christmas treat .
In Britain , folks ascertain a trio of Christmas specials star Rudolph ’s indolent , overweight son , Robbie the Reindeer . Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits wrote most of the music . It ’s cool !
But Rudolph is n’t the only famous Christmas reindeer ; there are also the reindeer that pull Santa ’s sledge . In 1823 , a college professor named Clement C. Moore pen a verse form called “ A Visit from St. Nicholas ” that finally became known as “ The Night Before Christmas . ” Of the eight reindeer pluck St. Nick ’s sled he write :
More speedy than eagles his coursers they came , And he whistle , and shouted , and call’d them by name : Now , Dasher ! Now , Dancer . Now , Prancer , and Vixen!On , Comet ! On , Cupid ! On , Donder and Blitzen!To the top of the porch ! To the top of the wall!Now dash out ! Dash away ! crash away all !
In example you do n’t know it , Donder and Blitzen are German gens that mean Thunder and Lightning . today , people tend to spell Donder ’s name “ Donner . ”
Other author , like L. Frank Baum , who is celebrated for writingThe Wizard of Oz , give Santa ’s caribou dissimilar name . In 1902 , Baum drop a line a tarradiddle calledThe Life and Times of Santa Clausin which 10 reindeer rive Santa ’s sledge . Their epithet are Flossie and Glossie , Racer and Pacer , Fearless and Peerless , Ready and Steady , and Feckless and Speckless .
In a 2002South ParkChristmas special predict “ Red Sleigh Down , ” Santa calls his Greenland caribou Steven , Fluffy , Horace , Chantel , Skippy , Rainbow , Patches and Montel .
ma thinks the weirdest name for Santa ’s Greenland caribou are the ones in Bob Dylan ’s Christmas Sung , “ Must Be Santa : ” Eisenhower , Kennedy , Johnson , Nixon , Carter , Reagan , Bush and Clinton .
But enough of fabricated Rangifer tarandus . Next week we ’ll verbalise about real , alive Rangifer tarandus and how you’re able to raise them on your farm
Ask Martok!Do you have a livestock or wildlife doubtfulness you want me to answer?Send me your question!Please keep in creative thinker that I receive a lot of questions , so I wo n’t always be able to suffice each one forthwith . In the case of an animal emergency , it ’s important to reach out to your veterinarian or extension agent first .
« More Mondays with Martok »
