Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
“Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
you’ll go down in history!
Notes:
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a popular Christmas story about Santa Claus’ ninth and lead reindeer who possesses an unusually red colored nose that gives off its own light that is powerful enough to illuminate the team’s path through inclement weather.
The story is owned by The Rudolph Company, L.P. and has been sold in numerous forms including a popular song, a television special (done in stop motion animation), and a feature film. Rudolph was created by Robert L. May in 1939 as part of his employment with Montgomery Ward. Character Arts, LLC manages the licensing for the Rudolph Company, L.P.
Although the story and song have not passed into public domain, they have established themselves as folklore (as evidenced by the development of local variations and parodies such as “Deadeye the Lonesome Cowboy,” collected in the field by Simon J. Bronner and included in “American Children’s Folklore”). Earlier generations of folklorists would have rejected the possibility, and some contemporary scholars (e.g., Lucy Rollins) continue to classify the case as fakelore, much as Paul Bunyan has been criticized as an authentic folk hero. At all events, the story demonstrates the complex relationship between mass-culture and folklore.