The
True Story of
Rudolph
A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty
apartment window into the chilling December night.
Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?"
Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question
brought
waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been
the story of
Bob's life.
Life always had to be different for Bob.
Life always had to be different for Bob.
storybook!
Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope.
Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling.
Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was.
The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose. Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day.
But the story doesn't end there.
Wards went on to print, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores.
By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph.
That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book.
The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.
But the story doesn't end there either.
Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and DinahShore , it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry.
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas."
The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back
to bless
him again and again. And Bob May learned
the
lesson,
just like his dear friend Rudolph, that
being
different
isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be
a
blessing.
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
Enjoy life... it has an
It makes for a wonderful story!
Robert L. May
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
snopes
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