History YMMV / RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer

* TheWoobie: Rudolph due to being ostracized by the other reindeer due to his red nose. He's first seen crying next to a tree including a page where his tears actually falls between the book's text.

* {{Adorkable}}: Rudolph is bashful, shy and humble, and his stuffy, pouty voice seen in numerous adaptations (with the exception of the Max Flesicher short) only adds to it. Rudolph's Adorkable nature is also present in the original story and non Rankin/Bass adaptations (most notable in ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphsLessonsForLife Rudolph's Lessons For Life]]'', [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 1998 movie]], and the 1948 short). Even the original 1949 song performed by Music/GeneAutry reflected on Rudolph's timid and shy personality (such as being slower paced and mainly performed on a trumpet and a xylophone).

!!Examples from other adaptations of the story:
* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948''
* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1964''
* ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphsLessonsForLife Rudolph's Lessons for Life]]''
* ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie]]''

* FirstInstallmentWins: While the original story has become a Christmas staple with the general public, thanks to a hit song from 1949, and gained 4 animated adaptations. The official sequel to the story called ''Literature/RudolphShinesAgain'' from 1954 has faded into obscurity, with May's third Rudolph story ''Rudolph to the Rescue'' (originally titled ''Rudolph's Second Christmas'') being extra obscure due to getting published posthumously in 1992.

* {{Adorkable}}: Rudolph is bashful, shy and humble, and his stuffy, pouty voice seen in numerous adaptations (with the exception of the Max Flesicher short) only adds to it. Rudolph's Adorkable nature is also present in the original story and non Rankin/Bass adaptations (most notable in ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'', [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 1998 movie]], and the 1948 short). Even the original 1949 song performed by Music/GeneAutry reflected on Rudolph's timid and shy personality (such as being slower paced and mainly performed on a trumpet and a xylophone).

** The Rankin & Bass special wasn't even the first animated telling of the tale. That honor belongs to [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 Max Fleischer in 1948]], even before the song was written. The Fleischer short was re-issued in 1951 with the song added to the soundtrack. On top of that, Creator/DCComics issued multiple annuals retelling the story in the late '50s.

* {{Adorkable}}: Rudolph is bashful, shy and humble, and his stuffy, pouty voice only adds to it. Rudolph's Adorkable nature is also present in the original story and non Rankin/Bass adaptations (most notable in ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'', [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 1998 movie]], and the 1948 short). Even the original 1949 song performed by Music/GeneAutry reflected on Rudolph's timid and shy personality (such as being slower paced and mainly performed on a trumpet and a xylophone).

* AdaptationDisplacement:
** "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" originated with a [[Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer book published in 1939]] for a department store's Christmas marketing, which pre-dates the Rankin/Bass special by twenty-five years, the song by ten years, and is almost forgotten. The book has little in common with the Rankin & Bass special and focuses only on Rudolph being shunned for his nose before Santa asks him to lead the reindeer team. Hermey the Elf, the Abominable Snowman, Yukon, and Clarice were all [[CanonForeigner created for the Rankin & Bass special & do not appear at all in the book]]. Ask anyone if they know Rudolph, and they'll either answer with the song or the Rankin & Bass special, and be very surprised if you mention the original book.
** The song is another example of this for the book, by the Rankin & Bass animators. Even though it was written in 1949 by Johnny Marks, the brother-in-law of the book's author Robert May, the song was the basic inspiration & theme-music for the Rankin & Bass special, as the animators had only heard of the song.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** Santa is in fact a big jerk in the original film because he never even "liked" Rudolph (if you can call it that) until he realized that he could exploit his nose. In other words, Santa only cares about Rudolph's ''nose,'' not Rudolph.
** Rather than being an "abusive" parent, it could be argued that Donner, having grown up in that environment, knew the pain and suffering in store for Rudolph and wanted to spare him.
** Did Comet exclude Rudolph from the reindeer games out of prejudice, or was it for the good of the other young reindeer who might be distracted and he chose the wrong words in Rudolph's presence?
* CantUnhearIt: Just ''try'' reading any of the other adaptations of the story, be it books or comics, without hearing Billie Mae Richards' iconic Rudolph voice or the Rankin-Bass specials interpretation of the classic song.
* CommonKnowledge: Many people like to point out the special's supposed UnfortunateImplications of "differences should only be tolerated if they prove useful or can be exploited" since Rudolph is only accepted after Santa realizes his nose can be used to see through the storm. However, in the actual show, Rudolph is accepted back in Christmas town ''before'' he saves Christmas with his nose, and his friends and family realize what a mistake it was to mistreat him even earlier.
* CrossesTheLineTwice: Rudolph scaring a fellow buck when the cover comes off his nose.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** All of the Misfit Toys, not only for being TheWoobie, but because most were perfectly good toys, and even the ones that weren't would still delight a child. The particular stand-out is the doll ("A Dolly for Sue"), who had only a few lines outside of the ensemble cast, yet she's beloved for how tragic she is.
** [[MemeticBadass Yukon]] [[ShroudedInMyth Cornelius]]. Just look at that ''[[BadassMustache moustache!]]''
** King Moonracer, Also doubles as a OneSceneWonder.
%%** The Toy Taker [[spoiler: aka. Mr Cuddles]] seems to be considered one of the better elements of the 2001 sequel.
** The Boss Elf, thanks to his [[MemeticMutation memetic]] "WHY WEREN'T YOU AT ELF PRACTICE?!" line.
* FairForItsDay: In spite of the [[BrokenBase criticism]] the 1964 special has received [[ValuesDissonance today]] for most of the characters being mean to Rudolph, the special clearly shows that Rudolph was adversely affected by the ostracism he received. And as for Donner's [[AbusiveParents harsh parenting skills]], when he finds out that Rudolph has run away, he realizes that he WasTooHardOnHim. Towards the end of the special, everyone, including AllOfTheOtherReindeer, apologizes to him for their mistreatment of him, even before they realize that his red nose could be useful to anybody.
* FanonDiscontinuity: Fans of both the originals and of the traditionally animated 1998 film agree that the computer animated ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys'' never should have happened. Arguably a song or two and using the original designs the other sequels altered are the only saving graces, if even that.
%%** The sequel, ''WesternAnimation/RudolphsShinyNewYear'', has a completely different Rudolph puppet, despite starring the same character and taking place immediately after this special. He's also young again in all the sequels.%%None of this explains how it's an example.
* FirstInstallmentWins: None of the sequels will ever hold a candle to the original 1964 special. Note, however, [[SequelDisplacement it is not]] the first ''Rudolph'' film altogether (that honour goes to the [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 Max Fleischer]] short, which is received well, but is far more obscure).
* FountainOfMemes: Yukon Cornelius. Being a LargeHam and the only adult who isn't a JerkAss helps.
* HilariousInHindsight:
%%** The villain of ''Misfit Toys'' [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 is a teddy bear who turned evil after being abandoned by his owner.]]
** "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a talking snowman before?". Fast forward to 1969, [[Creator/RankinBassProductions the same studio]] would make ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman''.
** Hermey is scolded for altering some dolls to have working teeth as "we don't need any chewing dolls". Flash forward to present and we've seen several popular toys that were dolls that chew/otherwise eat and thus would need semi-realistic mouths.
** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23fBiJHARWk&t=243s Issue #1 of the DC Comics series]] starring Rudolph that ran from 1950-1962. Rudolph learns from two human children (Jack and Judy) that visited the North Pole, that Rudolph is very famous not only on Radio, but television (which makes him extremely happy). Two years after the final issue was published, the Rankin/Bass Special premiered and would become the most beloved and longest running Christmas Special on television. While Rudolph himself has become very well-known around the world than the time period the #1 first issue was released.
** The cowboy doll who rode an ostrich might have been [[VideoGame/{{Joust}} ahead of the curve]] by a few decades.
* JerkassWoobie: Donner. He's aloof to his son, and tries to get him to hide the glowing red nose, but when it's revealed, Santa is downright cruel to Donner. And when Rudolph runs away, Donner is the first to go and look for him.
* MemeticMutation:
** "You eat what you like, and I'll eat what I like!"
** "I'm cute! I'm cute! She said I'm CUTE!" Preferably said as though one has a stuffed nose: "She said I'm CYUUUUUUUUUDE!"
** ''[[SuddenlyShouting "WHY WEREN'T YOU AT ELF PRACTICE?"]]'' exploded in popularity in December 2017.
** "Quick, douse the light!"
** "Bumbles BOUNCE!"
** "No! This is [[StayInTheKitchen MAN'S]] work!"

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: Rudolph has clearly taken King Moonracer's advice to heart, because the next time he's confronted by all of the other reindeer, he simply ignores them and continues on his way home.
* NightmareRetardant: If you don't find the Bumble to be NightmareFuel, you'll probably see him as a big, white Muppet, complete with permanently crossed eyes. Once Bumble has been touched with the Spirit of Christmas, he becomes the cutest thing ever.
* OlderThanTheyThink:

* RainbowLens: Hermie's desire to become a dentist unintentionally (as this was released in 1964) resembles a ComingOutStory. Rudolph's struggles are also relatable to the LGBT community.
* SacredCow: Although there's plenty to mock due to ValuesDissonance, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer has been a beloved part of many people's childhoods and is ''the'' go-to Christmas Special. Its numerous fans will shred you to pieces if you dare speak ill of it.
* SpecialEffectFailure: Hermey's mouth movements frequently don't match the words he's saying, which at times can be unintentionally hilarious.
%%** The entire ''Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys'' movie can be seen as one big special effects failure, with really bad CGI animation throughout (not as bad as ''WesternAnimation/RapsittieStreetKidsBelieveInSanta'', but still pretty bad, looking more like animation from a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 game). Special mention goes to an iceberg collapse during the storm scene, which is VERY poorly done.
* StockParodyJokes:
** Rudolph's peers were only accepting of his deformity [[BrokenAesop after it proved useful to them]].
** Hermey being a DepravedDentist.
** Rudolph is either a female reindeer or {{transgender}} due to [[AnimalGenderBender having antlers year round]].
** Hermey's desire to be a dentist being a metaphor for a ComingOutStory.
* UglyCute: The Bumble! You can't deny that underneath all that stop motion fur he's kinda cute.
* UncannyValley: The stop-motion animation has ''not'' aged well, and most of the character movements are unsettlingly stiff and jerky. It doesn't help that when they blink, they only blink their pupils instead of their whole eye.
* ValuesDissonance: There were a few sexist lines in the original that were cut in later broadcasts. Among them Donner telling his wife that finding Rudolph was "man's work" and "The best thing to do is get the women back to Christmas Town." When Donner's wife and Clarice ignore the first line and try to help find Rudolph, they only make things worse and need to be rescued. However, in recent times, female audience members have praised Mrs. Donner and Clarice for at least trying to find Rudolph.
* ValuesResonance: The plot itself involves a group of misfits who band together, a concept that has become increasingly relatable since the advent of the internet, and social media especially, that allows individuals with niche interests and lifestyles to join together.
* TheWoobie:
** Rudolph. Every interpretation of the character.
** Hermey, and everyone on the Island of Misfit Toys in the Rankin-Bass continuity.
%%** From ''The Island of Misfit Toys'', we get [[spoiler:the Toy Taker, because he's actually a worn-out teddy bear named Mr. Cuddles, who felt like he was abandoned, but it turns out he wasn't]].

%%** The entire ''Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys'' movie can be seen as one big special effects failure, with really bad CGI animation throughout (not as bad as ''WesternAnimation/TheRapsittieStreetKidsBelieveInSanta'', but still pretty bad, looking more like animation from a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 game). Special mention goes to an iceberg collapse during the storm scene, which is VERY poorly done.

* ValuesDissonance:
** There were a few sexist lines in the original that were cut in later broadcasts. Among them Donner telling his wife that finding Rudolph was "man's work" and "The best thing to do is get the women back to Christmas Town." When Donner's wife and Clarice ignore the first line and try to help find Rudolph, they only make things worse and need to be rescued. However, in recent times, female audience members have praised Mrs. Donner and Clarice for at least trying to find Rudolph.
** The entire original special as a whole has been scrutinized in TheNewTens because of Donner's treatment of Rudolph being borderline abusive and because of Rudolph being bullied over his nose. Comet prohibiting Rudolph from playing reindeer games and even encouraging the yearlings to tease Rudolph has also been subject to this.
** The story itself. It's amazing how EasilyForgiven Santa and AllOfTheOtherReindeer are, though this is partially a product of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode.
** All the efforts for Santa to gain weight ahead of Christmas as he's clearly slimmed down since last season. It's mostly played for laughs, but prompting someone to fatten up may not resonate with obesity rates, particularly those in the United States, having continued to soar in the decades since. This has even created a public health crisis due to the sugar industry's lobbying unfairly demonizing fat as the main cause of obesity.

* {{Moe}}: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer himself, in the original story as well as [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 every animated]] [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 adaptation]] and other material starring the titular character. He's very shy, timid, and awkward but a very caring and kindhearted young buck. This is a major reason for why Rudolph is still beloved by generations of people around the world. Especially [[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6aobcs the 1996 Montgomery Ward adaptation]] ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' where Rudolph is cheerful and upbeat. When Santa tells Rudolph about his difficult time delivering presents on Christmas Eve. Rudolph's excitement is empathized with his red nose glowing brighter and brighter causing him to tell Santa that he would love to help him on his journey.
* OlderThanTheyThink:

** The trope is averted by the [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 first animated short]] of Rudolph, which was produced and directed by [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Max Fleischer]]. Released in 1948, it predates the Rankin & Bass special and the song. Fleischer's short is based on and true to the original book, though it was later re-released in 1951 with the song added to its soundtrack.

** [[MemeticBadass Yukon]] [[ShroudedInMyth Cornelius]]. Just look at that ''[[BadassMoustache moustache!]]''

* FanonDiscontinuity:
** The sequel, ''WesternAnimation/RudolphsShinyNewYear'', suddenly has a completely different Rudolph puppet, despite starring the same character and taking place immediately after this special. Not to mention he's also young again in ''all'' the sequels. Or did he get his antlers trimmed once in a while?
** Fans of both the "originals" and the traditionally animated 1998 film will agree that the computer animated ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys'' never should have happened. Arguably a song or two and using the original designs the other sequels altered are the only saving graces, if even that.
* FirstInstallmentWins: None of the sequels will ever hold a candle to the original 1964 special. Note however, [[SequelDisplacement it is not]] the first ''Rudolph'' film altogether (that honour goes to the [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 Max Fleischer]] short, which is received well, but is far more obscure).

** "I'm cute! I'm cute! She said I'm CUTE!"
*** Preferably said as though one has a stuffed nose: "She said I'm CYUUUUUUUUUDE!"
** For whatever reason, the phrase ''[[SuddenlyShouting "WHY WEREN'T YOU AT ELF PRACTICE?"]]'' inexplicably exploded in popularity in December 2017.

* {{Moe}}: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer himself, in the original story as well as [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 every animated]] [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 adaptation]] and other material starring the titular character. He's very shy, timid, and awkward but a very caring and kindhearted young buck. This is a major reason for why Rudolph is still beloved by generations of people around the world. Especially [[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6aobcs the 1996 Montgomery Ward adaptation]] ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' where Rudolph is cheerful and upbeat. When Santa tells Rudolph about his difficult time delivering presents on Christmas Eve. Rudolph's excitement is empathized with his red nose glowing brighter and brighter causing him to tell Santa that he would love to help on on his journey.

** In the DC Comics series starring Rudolph that ran from 1950-1962. Rudolph learns from two human children that visited the North Pole, that Rudolph is very famous not only on Radio, but television (which makes him extremely happy). Two years later the final issue, the Rankin/Bass Special premiered and would become the most beloved and longest running Christmas Special on television.

** There were a few sexist lines in the original that were cut in later broadcasts. Among them Donner telling his wife that finding Rudolph was "man's work" and "The best thing to do is get the women back to Christmas Town." When Donner's wife and Clarice ignore the first line and try to help find Rudolph, they only make things worse and need to be rescued.

* {{Moe}}: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer himself, in the original story as well as [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 every animated]] [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 adaptation]] and other material starring the titular character. He's very shy, timid, and awkward but a very caring and kindhearted young buck. This is a major reason for why Rudolph is still beloved by generations of people around the world. Especially [[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6aobcs 1996 Montgomery Ward adaptation]] ''Rudolph's Lessons For Life'' where Rudolph is cheerful and upbeat. When Santa tells Rudolph about his difficult time delivering presents on Christmas Eve. Rudolph's excitement is empathized with his red nose glowing brighter and brighter causing him to tell Santa that he would love to help on on his journey.