# Were you led to believe Santa's Reindeer were male?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 7, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559 "2003-12-07T16:36:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/1 "2003-12-07T16:36:26Z")
When calling off the name of Santa’s reindeer, don’t you get the impression they are all male? I mean a name like “Rudolph?”
Even in the cartoon RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER, he is shown to be a “guy” because he is separated from Clarice during reindeer games.
I heard on Hollywood Confidential with Leeza Gibbons last night, that while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the
summer each year, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.
Female reindeer retain their antlers until after they give birth in
the spring.
Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting
Santa’s reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen - had to be a girl!
Now who’s idea was it to project to children that the reindeer were all male? Would it have hurt if they told the truth and said they were all female? Why bother lying?
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### Author:  [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/2 "2003-12-07T16:47:34Z")
Well, I assumed “Vixen” was female, since her name means “female fox.” “Cupid” would have to be male, since he’s named after the son of Venus
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### Author:  [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/3 "2003-12-07T16:54:15Z")
Thinking about it, I sort of assigned genders to the reindeer with no basis in fact–just on their name.
I wonder if I can even remember the names of all the reindeer. Hmm…
Dasher (think of as male)
Dancer (think of as female)
Prancer (male)
Vixen (female)
Comet (male)
Cupid (male)
Donner (male)
Blitzen (male)
So I only think of 2 of the original 8 as being female.
Rudolph was most definitely male. After all, they used to laugh and call _him_ names and they never let _him_ play in any reindeer games.
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### Author:  [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/4 "2003-12-07T17:15:48Z")
Well if Leeza was right on quoting the Alaskan’s, Rudoplh should be “female” Do you think that the person writing the story just didn’t investigate whether the reindeer should have been male or female?
BTW I forgot about Vixen. I think that sounds female.
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### Author:  [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/5 "2003-12-07T17:28:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Isabelle \*
> \*\*while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the
> summer each year, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.
>
> Female reindeer retain their antlers until after they give birth in
> the spring.
>
> Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting
> Santa’s reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen - had to be a girl! \*\*
…and flightless. An important characteristic of reindeer is their pure and complete flightlessness. So if Santy can make reindeer fly, why can’t he make boy reindeer maintain their antlers until after Christmas?
For that matter, does anyone actually have a photo of Santa’s reindeer showing that they do, in fact, have antlers on their Christmas Eve flight? Hmm? :dubious:
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### Author:  [@viking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/viking)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/6 "2003-12-07T19:08:32Z")
What [the Alaska Department of Fish and Game](http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame/caribou.php) actually says on the subject:
``The largest bulls shed their antlers in late October, but small bulls and non-pregnant cows do not shed their antlers until April. Pregnant females usually retain their antlers until calves are born in late May or early June.’’
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### Author:  [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/7 "2003-12-07T21:59:52Z")
I think that would cover Santa’s team, because they’re described as “8 _tiny_ reindeer” (emphasis mine). So they could be either females or small males.
Strangely enough, in the “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” TV special, they’re called “bucks and does” not “bulls and cows”.
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### Author:  [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/8 "2003-12-07T22:09:03Z")
Yes, I was! 😕
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### Author:  [@j\_kat\_251](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_kat_251)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/9 "2003-12-07T23:18:53Z")
Come on, Donna isn’t really a guy name is it?
_rimshot_
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### Author:  [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/10 "2003-12-07T23:28:11Z")
I never thought about it one way or another.
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### Author:  [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/11 "2003-12-08T07:33:45Z")
Isabelle, it really is ok to not post EVERYTHING that comes into your cavernous skull.
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### Author:  [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/12 "2003-12-08T08:00:54Z")
I’m in Michael’s boat–never thought about it one way or the other. I have never really assigned genders to Santa’s reindeer; I guess I figured that once one accepts that reindeer can fly, one needn’t worry oneself about gender technicalities.
But then again, I’m Jewish, so make of that what you will.
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/13 "2003-12-08T21:06:24Z")
This is the first time I learned that female reindeer had antlers.
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### Author:  [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/14 "2003-12-08T21:48:14Z")
According to the little book “The Secret Life of Reindeer” (which I received today, interestingly enough)…
Vixen
Dancer
Comet
Donner
… are female.
😃 This amuses me no end.
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### Author:  [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/15 "2003-12-09T00:56:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Isabelle \*
> **Were you led to believe Santa’s Reindeer were male?**
I didn’t listen that closely to the madam, so I don’t know what she tried to get me to believe. You pays your money, you takes your chances.
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### Author:  [@snermy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snermy)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/16 "2003-12-09T00:59:04Z")
Dasher , Dancer, Prancer, Vixen – female
Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blixen – male
Parity, baby.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/17 "2003-12-09T23:33:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by voguevixen \*
> \*\*Isabelle, it really is ok to not post EVERYTHING that comes into your cavernous skull. \*\*
It really is _not_ “ok” to insult people outside of the BBQ Pit. Consider this an official warning.
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### Author:  [@Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olive_The_Other_Reindeer)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/18 "2003-12-10T01:29:13Z")
I think it’s quite obvious that I’m female 🙂
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### Author:  [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/19 "2003-12-10T02:05:19Z")
Just checking in to see if the [misogynist label](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4331230) has been bandied about.
Nope, eveyone’s behaving.
I’ll leave you to your thread.
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### Author:  [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-led-to-believe-santas-reindeer-were-male/217559/20 "2003-12-10T02:23:02Z")
I took Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen/Ground 'em all up and I started to mix 'em …
_Originally posted by Kat_
> [@](#):
>
> I think that would cover Santa’s team, because they’re described as “8 tiny reindeer” (emphasis mine). So they could be either females or small males.
You’ve hit upon it! They’re dwarf reindeer! Hmm… maybe they’re even androgynous. It’s a mystery.
Personally, I think most of them sound like exotic dancers…
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