5 things to know about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

The shy reindeer with the glowing red nose was teased by the other reindeer until the shiny nose became a headlight for Santa’s sleigh. On that snowy Christmas Eve, Rudolph became a superstar.

And Rudolph’s star is still shining. Here are 5 things you may not have known:

1) 1939 booklet was instantly popular

Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 booklet assigned to Robert L. May by Montgomery Ward. The retailer had previously bought and distributed coloring books for free every holiday season and the Rudolph assignment was an attempt to create a book in-house and save some money. Montgomery Ward distributed 2.5 million copies of the story in its first year of publication.

2) Author was Jewish

The writer who created Rudolph, Robert L. May, was raised in a secular Jewish home and was a Jew when he wrote the first Rudolph book. He later married a Catholic coworker and converted to Catholicism.

3) He was almost a moose

Rudolph was originally a moose and was nearly named Rollo or Reginald.

4) Musical version was a huge hit

May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, wrote a musical adaptation of the Rudolph poem. After several famous singers passed on the invitation to record it, the "singing cowboy," Gene Autry, cut a record. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and was a huge success, outselling all other Christmas songs except for "White Christmas."

5) Most famous version of all?

The 1964 movie  celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014 and is arguably the most well-known version of the Rudolph story, in large part because of the unforgettable voice of Burl Ives.