Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by American copywriter Robert L. May for the Chicago-based department store Montgomery Ward as part of a promotional Christmas booklet.

Who created Rudolph?

  • Robert L. May, born in 1905, was working as an advertising copywriter when his boss asked him to write a “cheery children’s book” featuring an animal character for a Christmas giveaway.
  • He invented Rudolph as a young reindeer with a glowing red nose, and Montgomery Ward distributed the story to shoppers in booklet form in 1939.

Why was Rudolph created?

  • Montgomery Ward had been buying Christmas coloring books to give away, but decided commissioning its own story would be cheaper and better for branding.
  • May’s story turned into a huge hit, and Rudolph quickly became a beloved Christmas character far beyond the original store promotion.

Extra fun detail

  • May originally tried other alliterative names like Rollo and Reginald before settling on the now-iconic name Rudolph.

TL;DR: If you are asking “who created Rudolph,” the answer is Robert L. May, who dreamed him up in 1939 while working for Montgomery Ward.