<P> Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May and published by Montgomery Ward, the department store . </P> <P> The story is owned by The Rudolph Company, LP and has been adapted in numerous forms including a popular song, the iconic 1964 television special and sequels, and a feature film and sequel . Character Arts, LLC manages the licensing for the Rudolph Company, LP . In many countries, Rudolph has become a figure of Christmas folklore . 2014 marked the 75th anniversary of the character and the 50th anniversary of the television special . A series of postage stamps featuring Rudolph was issued by the United States Postal Service on November 6, 2014 . </P> <P> Robert L. May created Rudolph in 1939 as an assignment for Chicago - based Montgomery Ward . The retailer had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money . May considered naming the reindeer "Rollo" or "Reginald" before deciding upon using the name "Rudolph ." In its first year of publication, Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies of Rudolph's story . The story is written as a poem in anapestic tetrameter, the same meter as "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also known as "' Twas the Night Before Christmas"). Publication and reprint rights for the book Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer are controlled by Pearson PLC . </P> <P> While May was pondering how best to craft a Christmas story about a reindeer, while staring out his office window in downtown Chicago, a thick fog from Lake Michigan blocked his view--giving him a flash of inspiration . "Suddenly I had it!" he recalled . "A nose! A bright red nose that would shine through fog like a spotlight ." </P>

What company originally created rudolph the red-nosed reindeer as a christmas promotion