— and also, Dude, eskimo is not the preferred nomenclature. Inuit or Yupik, please.
No, that’s an impossibly high bar, but thank you.
Watching the sequel, Rudolph’s Shiny New Year, introduces even more problems into the Rudolph Universe’s Time-Line. Rudolph is given a special mission to help retrieve the missing Baby New Year. He goes on a long mission, travels around an archipelago of islands, each of which represents a different year, contends with Eon, the evil Time Vulture, etc.
Yet the Rudolph we see is the young Rudolph of the first adventure, not the mature Rudolph who goes to rescue Clarisse and his parents from the Abominable.
When did this happen? Santa seems to accept him as his special trusted emissary, which does not make sense in light of the way the young Rudolph was treated. Was this part of the Lost Years of Rudolph’s wandering, or is it simply non-canonical (despite being made in the same animation style as the first special)?
Perhaps it’s like the Second Doctor’s “Missing Years”. Perhaps Santa, having realized what a dick he had been to Rudolph, approached Rudolph to ask forgiveness, and, to show his new found trust in Rudolph, sends him on his mission.
This would explain why Santa treats him kindly when Rudolph, as an adult, returns to Donner’s cave.
I just watched this one over Christmas. Happened that same Christmas after they delivered the presents. It was the same storm still going on. (So Rudolph had a VERY long night.)
No realistic explanation for the suddenly younger Rudolph. Just a practical one — young Rudolph cuter and more identifiable for the audience.
Tuesday November 29th, 8:00 p.m. CBS
It’s alive!
Too soon!
Agreed, though I still love catching it.
I seem to remember it typically airing the first week of December in the late-70s/early-80s. But it’s been playing within a week of Thanksgiving for at least 15 years now, right?
With “Christmas creep” the way it’s been lately, I’m a little surprised Rudolf hasn’t been coming on Thanksgiving night … or at least Black Friday night.
Why does Santa’s sleigh have bells when the whole mission is designed to quietly visit homes and not wake the children?
One of my favorite threads ever. I never watch the first 15 minutes of Rudolph. I hate how his father treats him.
This made me laugh all over again.
Same as with any other sleigh. To warn oncoming traffic.
actually if you get the warners Christmas collection that has the rest of the Rudolph frosty saga … youll see they even made more weirder specials …
There’s Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. Were there others?
Why does Moonracer say Rudolph and Hermey can’t stay on the island because they aren’t toys. Is a cowboy a toy? An ostrich? Is the bird who can’t fly actually a toy bird who can’t fly? What happens to the murder theories then?
If the bird’s unreal
The elf should appeal!
My take:
You can’t argue with kings. Moonracer does not have to be logical, he is automatically right because he is king. That’s how being a king works.
But outside of the IOMT, it is up to the standards of a given community to determine the life value and sentient status of a toy.
××××
Did we ever determine how the elf got on the sleigh with Santa to begin with? It certainly was not there when the sleigh first took off.
A wizard, er, a bumble did it.
#itsnotchristmas!