Rudolph was added to Santa’s reindeer team in a 1939 story created for Montgomery Ward. The department-store chain commissioned copywriter Robert L. May to write a Christmas booklet for shoppers.
May’s story presented Rudolph as a young reindeer with a glowing red nose who was mocked by the other reindeer. During foggy weather, Santa recognized that Rudolph’s unusual feature could guide the sleigh, making him the team’s leader. The story became popular after Montgomery Ward distributed millions of copies.
May’s brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, adapted the story into the 1949 song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Gene Autry’s recording became a major hit. Rudolph therefore belongs to twentieth-century popular culture rather than the older Saint Nicholas traditions or the eight-reindeer team from the 1823 poem.