I'll be the first to admit I have long been a sucker for a certain reindeer whose many good qualities include a bright red nose that helped saved xmas one year. Yes, I am talking about the inimitable Rudolph.Rudolph has been around for quite some time, being created for the Montgomery Ward chain of department stores in 1939 by Robert May. While Rudolph's fame was secured by the 1949 recording made by Gene Autry, Rudolph became immortal thanks to television and the 1964 holiday special produced by the venerable Rankin/Bass.
Rudolph's popularity has never dwindled. In fact, it is still growing thanks to a museum exhibition in Atlanta featuring the actual puppets used in the 1964 television program. While they are merely bits of wood and felt, these puppets represent a special something to children around the world.
Hats off to you, Rudolph, for being different -- and proud of it!
More about the museum exhibition will be found here.
2 comments:
yhjunAmazing how five inches of felt , wool, and wood can fuel the memories of countless little girls and boys, including this one!
And I would never have guessed that the Masters of Crappy Commerce at "Monkey Wards" gave birth and voice to my Holiday Neuroses-- I always thought ol' Gene Autry invented the legend by himself!
Montgomery Wards?
Montgomery Wards?!?!
At least Sears had the esteemed "Wish Book" catalog every year--in my town we would sneer at that lesser commercial cousin for its aisles of shoddy women's seperates and eternally hideous
polyester tube socks.
(Even as a youngster my folks trained me to be a fashion snob!)
All is forgiven, Mssrs. Monty and Wards.
You gave me, albeit indirectly, the concept of The Island of Misfit Toys, and that knowledge proved the greatest Christmas gift of all...pdbhwl
Two things--
Please forgive the nonsense letters at the top and bottom of my post--they were the verification codes, not some secret message,
and
Great Find, Mr. C!
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