Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer began as a poem, written by Robert May in 1939 as a department store promotion. Johnny Marks composed the melody to the song, which was made famous by Gene Autry in 1949. Since then, Rudolph has appeared in various forms of media, including cartoons, comics, a children’s book, a TV special, and an animated feature-length film.