Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

In 1939 an advertising copywriter at Montgomery Ward was asked to write a children's story for a giveaway Christmas coloring book, He was Bob May '26 and heccratedeated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who, one foggy Christmas Eve, saved Santa's bacon.

In 1949, by which time some seven million copies of the book were in print, the Gene Autry musical version became number one on the charts, and Rudolph pranced into the pantheon of kids' animal heroes.

May's illuminated ungulate started as a giveaway book.