Who wrote the original story of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'?

Who wrote the original story of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”? Robert L. May wrote the original story.

May created Rudolph in 1939 while working for Montgomery Ward, a Chicago-based department store. The retailer traditionally distributed Christmas booklets to customers, and May was assigned to create an original story that could be given away during the holiday season.

Rudolph first appeared in a booklet published by Montgomery Ward. May drew inspiration partly from his young daughter’s affection for deer at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. He also considered names such as Rollo and Reginald before settling on Rudolph. In its first year, Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies.

The story later inspired several adaptations. May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, turned it into the 1949 song recorded by Gene Autry, while later film and television versions added new characters and plot details. A frequent mistake is crediting Marks with the original story: he wrote the song, not the 1939 booklet.