Become a Patron!

The Good Old Times

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
May be an image of 1 person and text
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years

Original photo by Yuganov Konstantin/ Shutterstock​

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created for an ad campaign.​

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is famous for his eponymous Christmas tune and for using his luminous nose to heroically guide Santa Claus through the dense snow and fog on Christmas Eve. But originally, Rudolph was created as part of an ad campaign to guide Chicago area customers into department stores. Montgomery Ward was a retailer known for releasing Christmas-themed promotional coloring books in the 1930s to attract shoppers. After years of buying and distributing books made elsewhere, it opted to cut costs by designing a book of its own in 1939. The retailer enlisted the help of copywriter Robert L. May to conceive a new story, and thus, Rudolph was born.

According to the fact-checking site Snopes, May was inspired by the story of the “Ugly Duckling” and decided to create a character that was similarly ostracized for his physical appearance. He was also influenced by the fact that reindeer had been associated with Christmas as far back as the early 19th century. May settled on a reindeer with a glowing red nose, and at first considered names such as Rollo (which he later said in a 1963 interview was “too happy”) and Reginald (“too sophisticated”); Rudolph, however, “rolled off the tongue nicely.”

May’s story was a hit with both his young daughter and his employer, which distributed 2.4 million copies of the book in 1939 and another 3.6 million in 1946. Rudolph became a national sensation in 1949, when May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, composed a song about the character. That tune was recorded by Gene Autry and went on to sell 1.75 million copies in its first year, becoming the first No. 1 song of the 1950s.
 

Lannie

Silver Contributor
Member For 5 Years

Original photo by Yuganov Konstantin/ Shutterstock​

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created for an ad campaign.​

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is famous for his eponymous Christmas tune and for using his luminous nose to heroically guide Santa Claus through the dense snow and fog on Christmas Eve. But originally, Rudolph was created as part of an ad campaign to guide Chicago area customers into department stores. Montgomery Ward was a retailer known for releasing Christmas-themed promotional coloring books in the 1930s to attract shoppers. After years of buying and distributing books made elsewhere, it opted to cut costs by designing a book of its own in 1939. The retailer enlisted the help of copywriter Robert L. May to conceive a new story, and thus, Rudolph was born.

According to the fact-checking site Snopes, May was inspired by the story of the “Ugly Duckling” and decided to create a character that was similarly ostracized for his physical appearance. He was also influenced by the fact that reindeer had been associated with Christmas as far back as the early 19th century. May settled on a reindeer with a glowing red nose, and at first considered names such as Rollo (which he later said in a 1963 interview was “too happy”) and Reginald (“too sophisticated”); Rudolph, however, “rolled off the tongue nicely.”

May’s story was a hit with both his young daughter and his employer, which distributed 2.4 million copies of the book in 1939 and another 3.6 million in 1946. Rudolph became a national sensation in 1949, when May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, composed a song about the character. That tune was recorded by Gene Autry and went on to sell 1.75 million copies in its first year, becoming the first No. 1 song of the 1950s.

I actually didn't know that until just recently. Good ol' Monkey Wards, eh? LOL!
 

Lannie

Silver Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I remember little boys using straws and chewing up the paper they were wrapped in to spit through the straws at people. Spitballs. ;) I wonder what they used before straws were wrapped in paper? Maybe real peas? Or just little pieces of paper chewed up.
 

Lady Sarah

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I remember little boys using straws and chewing up the paper they were wrapped in to spit through the straws at people. Spitballs. ;) I wonder what they used before straws were wrapped in paper? Maybe real peas? Or just little pieces of paper chewed up.
It went way beyond little wads of paper in school. Some of the boys would chew on an entire sheet of paper, and hurl that against a wall, sometimes hitting the clock.
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Guess what… 58 years ago, in 1966, the holiday favorite “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” aired for the first time, becoming a holiday favorite that’s still popular today. We watch it together as a family every Christmas - it’s part of our tradition!

mail
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I can remember as a kid people would come around singin Christmas Carrols and invitin them in for hot chocolate or coffee and homemade cookies, then a few years later when I got old enough I went too.
Anyone remember that wonderful time.
Now ya'd probably be arrested :(
 

Lannie

Silver Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I can remember as a kid people would come around singin Christmas Carrols and invitin them in for hot chocolate or coffee and homemade cookies, then a few years later when I got old enough I went too.
Anyone remember that wonderful time.
Now ya'd probably be arrested :(

That still happens here. A bunch of the church people go caroling every Christmas Eve. They drive from ranch to ranch because of the distance between ranches and the cold weather. I tried to make hot chocolate and cookies for them one year but I was WAY short, LOL! Most of the kids got something, though. Now we have to keep the driveway gates shut to keep the dogs in, so they don't stop here anymore. It's OK, though, I can't bake enough cookies to feed all of them!
 

Lady Sarah

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
That still happens here. A bunch of the church people go caroling every Christmas Eve. They drive from ranch to ranch because of the distance between ranches and the cold weather. I tried to make hot chocolate and cookies for them one year but I was WAY short, LOL! Most of the kids got something, though. Now we have to keep the driveway gates shut to keep the dogs in, so they don't stop here anymore. It's OK, though, I can't bake enough cookies to feed all of them!
It has been announced that there will be a flatbed trailer loaded with caroling folk towed through the most wealthy part of town. Even the Christmas parade doesn't go there, because those people find it annoying. I hope they got a good amplifier and kick-ass speakers for spreading that Christmas spirit.
 

2WhiteWolves

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
VU Patreon
i still don't put my elbows on the table. as a kid my parents told me only convicts/criminals do that.
I went rounds with my step nephew to keep elbows off the table. Also, went rounds with him to bring his fork or spoon up to his mouth not his mouth down at the plate and shoveling in his food. For goodness sake! He never did neither!!
 

gopher_byrd

Cranky Old Fart
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
VU Patreon
I went rounds with my step nephew to keep elbows off the table. Also, went rounds with him to bring his fork or spoon up to his mouth not his mouth down at the plate and shoveling in his food. For goodness sake! He never did neither!!
Just keep your hands and feet from in front of his face... 🤣
 

VapeOn1960

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Oh yes... the ashtrays we made for parents/relatives. No matter how bad or ugly they were, everyone loved them. Also, it was a tradition when camping to put a few empty bottles in the fire before bed time. If everything went well, you woke up to a semi-flat bottle that could be used as an ashtray. Sometimes they broke. One time, we woke up because it was raining and you could hear all of the glass shattering LOL
 

Lady Sarah

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Who remembers
And the operator said 40c more for the next three minutes please?
May be an image of phone and text
These used to be in bars, arcades, malls, some restaurants, bus and train stations, etc... But when put in a booth, you had to hold the receiver while standing outside the booth to use it. Otherwise, the smell could overwhelm you and male you lose your lunch.
 

walton

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
New Member
Reddit Exile
These used to be in bars, arcades, malls, some restaurants, bus and train stations, etc... But when put in a booth, you had to hold the receiver while standing outside the booth to use it. Otherwise, the smell could overwhelm you and male you lose your lunch.
i just got to talk to her, ille only keep her a while thn the operaror says 40cents more......
 

VU Sponsors

Top