Favorite Fictional Character --- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

As you can tell, the rest of my Favorite Fictional Character posts are going to be Christmas/Holiday icons from my childhood that I have to immerse myself in during this time of year. So up first is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer who without, Christmas would never be the same.

How can you not adore this guy. He's cute, naive, and strives to be his own deer. He tries to put the needs of other's first and probably doesn't have a selfish antler on his body.

Rudolph was born in 1939 as part of a marketing campaign for Montgomery Ward. He was turned into a song in 1942 but the song did not pick up in popularity until Gene Autry recorded it a few years later. Now most of us are familiar with him because of the Rankin & Bass classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the subsequent movies Rudolph's Shiny New Year and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. Now I happen to own all 3 movies and devour them every year.

One of the songs from the first movie is what hooked me on his character. When Rudolph and Hermey sing "We're a Couple of Misfits" it gets to me every time. For all of us who were somehow different from what we thought was the norm, this is a anthem that makes us realize that we aren't alone, that there are tons of "misfits" out there.