The success and popularity of the special led to two sequels Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976) which continued the reindeer's journeys, and the series was made into a trilogy with the feature-length film Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979), which integrated the Rudolph universe into that of Rankin/Bass's adaptation of Frosty the Snowman (1969). Being one of the most popular Rankin/Bass characters, Rudolph also made his cameo appearances in two "Animagic" specials Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970) and Nestor, the Long–Eared Christmas Donkey (1977), and in the Easter television special The First Easter Rabbit (1976) with cel animation by Toru Hara's Topcraft. In Guild Wars Nightfall (2006), player characters are accompanied by a reindeer named Rudy whose nose begins to glow red when coming into range of presents that the player is tasked to find in a holiday themed quest. When the special finally aired in 1964, it became such a hit that it has been rebroadcast every year since, making it the longest-running Christmas special in history. Even today, the special still punches above its weight; when Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer aired on CBS in 2016, it beat every show except This Is Us. In 2017, more viewers tuned in to watch Rudolph than A Charlie Brown Christmas, which ran on ABC in the same time slot. Arguably one of the most touching moments in the film comes near the end, when the Misfit Toys believe that Santa has forgotten about them. Their collective heartbreak is palpable, captured in the quiet of the snowy island and their downtrodden expressions. Of course, Santa and Rudolph come to save the day and warm their little hearts. Raise your hand if you find yourself humming “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Silver and Gold” well into January. The movie’s songs, voiced by the iconic Burl Ives, aren’t just catchy; they’re holiday anthems that have stood the test of time.

Mr. Cuddles was a teddy bear that started as a present given to Steven, and was his favorite gift that he played with. When Steven grew up however, he became interested in other things and forgot about Mr. Cuddles. The teddy bear was put inside a box, was taken to the dump, and his parts were torn apart. Wanting to save other Christmas toys from the fate of being forgotten, he put on a green trench coat, an olive green fedora, sky blue mittens, and wore brown stilts, going under the name the "Toy Taker". He used a magic flute to hypnotize other toys.

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May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, adapted the story of Rudolph into a song. Gene Autry's recording of the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart the week of Christmas 1949. Autry's recording sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time until the 1980s. [20] View-Master reels (1950, 1955) [ edit ]

DC Comics, then known as National Periodical Publications, published a series of 13 annuals titled Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from 1950 to 1962. [24] [25] Rube Grossman drew most of the 1950s stories. [26] Lankford, Ronald D. (2013). Sleigh Rides Jingle Bells & Silent Nights: A Cultural History of American Christmas Songs. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. p. 86. ISBN 978-0813044927. At first, the Toy Taker stumbles upon a home and steals several toys inside, and used his hypnotic flute and guided them to his blimp. The Toy Taker proceeded to steal more toys across neighborhoods, leaving children with nothing to play with. Kim, Wook (December 17, 2012). "Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs". Time. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. In the Doctor Who promotional mini-webisode " Songtaran Carols" (2012), the Sontaran warrior-nurse-detective Strax stated: "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose. It proved to be a tactical disadvantage, because it enabled me to punch him in the dark."Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 booklet written by May and published by Montgomery Ward, the department store. [4] [5] [6] Hiroshi Tabata works on Charlie-in-the-box in Animagic, on the set of Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1964. Rudolph all red-nosed over stamp of approval". United States Postal Service. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the nation's longest-running and highest-rated Christmas television special 'went down in history' to receive its stamp of approval today. The set of four Limited Edition Forever stamps depicting Rudolph, Hermey, Santa and Bumble were created from still television frames from the special which premiered 50 years ago in 1964. The fancy voices do nothing at all to improve it. Dreyfuss does some rubbish Snowman narrator but Jamie Lee Curtis dons a horrible accent to do a hippo queen! (was she trying to hide her identity from shame?). Moranis has an OK character visually but he does nothing with it and the absurd songs and voice only serve to the character of any menace he had before he spoke.