Single reindeer ", 1821 The first reference to Santa's sleigh being pulled by a reindeer appears in "
Old Santeclaus with Much Delight", an 1821 illustrated children's poem published in New York. The poem, with eight colored
lithographic illustrations, was published by William B. Gilley as a small paperback book entitled ''The Children's Friend: A New-Year's Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve''. The illustration to the first verse features a sleigh with a sign saying "REWARDS" being pulled by an unnamed single reindeer.
Eight reindeer The 1823 poem usually attributed to
Clement C. Moore,
A Visit from St. Nicholas, is largely credited for the modern Christmas lore that includes eight named reindeer. The poem was first published in the
Sentinel of
Troy, New York, on 23 December 1823. All eight reindeer were named, the first six being Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid; the final two, "Dunder" and "Blixem", are from a Dutch
oath meaning "
thunder" and "
lightning". The relevant part of the poem reads: Moore altered the names of the last two reindeer several times; as appears in his 1844 version of the poem. The relevant part reads: The modern German spelling of "Donner" started to become the standard spelling from the early 20th century, long after Moore's death,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph's story was originally written in verse by
Robert L. May for the
Montgomery Ward chain of
department stores in 1939, and it was published as a book to be given to children in the store at
Christmas time. The 1949 Christmas song "
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by
Gene Autry further popularized the character. The existence of Rudolph has inspired a number of less-enduring relatives, mostly in comedy settings, including
an implied son named Robbie and a
redneck cousin named Leroy, among others. Due to copyright and trademark complications, most unofficial productions that indirectly refer to Rudolph do so using
euphemisms. ==Appearances in popular culture==