One of the producers behind the special, Arthur Rankin, says he believes her problems are “psychological.”
No, “Donner” is from a different party. :eek:
I remember this coming up on the other Rudolph thread. It sounded ominous.
I’d like to see a modern version where Rudolph, excluded from reindeer games for one day too many, comes to Comet’s open tryouts with a sawed-off and goes all Trenchcoat Mafia on everyone in the immediate vicinity. Leaving only that cute little girl reindeer with the abnormally-long eyelashes as the only survivor, Rudy then plays My Chemical Romance on an elf-manufactured iPod until the cops show up, whereupon he turns the shotgun on himself and ends his own life in a spray of gore and reindeer brains.
I remember reading a few years back that the ragdoll suffered from depression, and nobody wanted a doll that was crying all the time.
I searched and searched and found nothing. Try Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
I’d love to hear some of the really early versions as told by May. Apparently the original Rudolph was May himself, and the story evolved in each retelling.
Most excellent, tdn, but I wanted more gore. The part where the Abominable Snowman puts Santa’s head on top of the tree was great, but the rest of it fell short. Good find, though. Thanks for sharing.
Hey, thanks for inspiring me to search for it. I saw it many years ago in a bar, but couldn’t really hear it very well. I’ve been wanting to see it again, but it left my brain before YouTube was invented.
First, I know about teamwork. I manage a team of several dozen employees. We succeed AND accept diversity. Indeed my team was tops in District #2 last quarter, and the red-headed kid worked just as well as the others.
Now if this was some stage dance number where individuality is frowned on, I’d agree with you. But it isn’t. Heck, you’re not even supposed to see the reindeer. Kids have to go to sleep or Santa won’t arrive at all! “There must be no peeking, or he might pass you by!” Since the performance is for an audience of exactly ZERO, doesn’t it make sense that practical matters and efficiency should trump whether every reindeer looks exactly the same?
Other posters have noted the foolishness of Santa travelling without lights. Enderw24 is especially eloquent on the subject. The real issue is the issue addressed in the TV special. If you exclude Rudolph from the Christmas Canon, it is only out of a refusal to accept the differences that humanity shares itself. It’s almost to deny the true meaning of Christmas completely. Rudolph enhances Christmas at the same time fortifying the tradition against the crass Wal-Marty Christmas we all abhor.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Rudolph. Your little friends that say he is “false” are wrong. He is as real as differences in others are real. You must open your heart to him, or forever be a Grinch pining for a delusional Christmas-That-Never-Was. One that only exists in the Mount Crumpet of a closed mind.
Totally off topic but when Mama Santa’s getting all yenta-ish on Santa (“EAT, EAT!”) she says “The children don’t want a skinny Santa.” I thought the kids didn’t actually see Santa.
Though you are right this is off-topic, I bet there are some flying reindeer who would like to have a skinny Santa if they have to haul him and a sizable bag of toys around the world and back.
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
Rudolph was a wuss. If it had been me I’d have told Santa and the others where to stick it.
Guess I didn’t learn my tolerance and forgiveness lesson.
This controversy has gotten trotted out for decades: “But Santa was mean to Rudolph! Waaah.”
Well, guess what, little Timmy? Life isn’t always fair and authority figures aren’t perfect. Deal with it.
That’a common lesson in children’s literature and entertainment.
A simple, I hope, request: would you mind joining us in the next Harry Potter thread when people start bitching about the gross incompetence of Dumbledore, et al.
You’ll have my eternal gratitude.
I couldn’t find the book, but here’s the cartoon made of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZONsX-LYUA’
Also, I always assumed the problem with the doll was that she cried all the time, which would fit the spoilered revelation above.
Thanks! This is…odd. I like how the reindeer are wearing protective pillows when they play on the ice. And I thought overparenting happened in the 90s/00s.
The image of Santa delivering presents to the reindeer kids sleeping in suburban houses in beds is so hilariously bizarre.
This appears to be the complete text of May’s original Rudolph story, based on quotes I can find from other sources.
I’ve always been a fan of Olive, “the other reindeer”. One of Drew Barrymore’s better parts.
Also, in that story, it is revealed (by Comet) that Rudolph isn’t real - he’s just one of those urban legends.