Rudolph's story was originally written in verse by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward[?] chain of department stores in 1939 and published as a book to be given to children in the store at Christmas time. It was later rewritten as a song by Johnny Marks, May's brother-in-law, and has since filtered into the popular consciousness.
Rudolph is depicted as an ordinary reindeer with a large, red nose, often grinning and always leading the team pulling Santa's sleigh.
In 1964, the Rankin-Bass[?] animation studio produced a stop motion animated TV special of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that became a popular hit in itself. Re-broadcast many times over the years until it was finally released on video, this version of the story of Rudolph adds a simple story that introduces the characters of the "Island of Misfit Toys," the Abominable Snowman known as "Bumbles," and the elf who wants to be a dentist.
An animated feature film version of the fictional story of Rudolph was also produced in 1998, entitled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie, but this version of the story paled in comparison with the Rankin-Bass classic, both in terms of quality and box-office revenue. It only saw a limited theatrical release before quickly being sent to home video.
The song is sometimes performed (usually by children) in a humorous manner with additional lyrics. These lyrics are to be recited as a sort of response at the end of most of the lines in the song. Sample lyrics follow (responses in bold):
History of Rudolph (http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/rudolph.asp)
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