Get Ready For Rudolph!

The 1964 Rankin/Bass Classic Is Just As Much Fun Today!

Hands up—who still believes in The Island of Misfit Toys?

Whether you’re a child of the ‘60s, the ‘70s or the proud parent of your own child, Rudolph The Red-Nosed ReindeerTM should be viewed at least once every holiday season. Why? Because it brings back memories of sledding all day long, bundled-up in puffy snow suits, barely able to navigate through thick mittens. And later, coming home to hot chocolate as your Christmas tree lights twinkled on and off in the background, fresh pine in the air as Mom took cookies out of the oven.

What sets this telling of the classic ugly duckling tale apart from the countless other versions is the magic of Rankin/Bass and their ability to create unforgettable characters from the painstaking process of stop-motion animation. Recently revisited by Tim Burton in his Nightmare Before Christmas feature, in 1964 stop-motion was still pretty revolutionary.

Basically, it involves arranging 3-D objects (usually puppets) into poses and then shooting them frame by frame—only moving them a tiny distance each time. Frames are edited together to create the illusion that the puppets are actually walking, dancing, flying, etc.

It’s truly an art form to be appreciated by film fans. But for kids, it was pure magic to watch Sam The Snowman glide across glistening ponds, Santa’s sleigh take flight and King Moonracer welcome Rudolph and his friends to The Island of Misfit Toys (King Moonracer is still my personal favorite character next to The Bumble).

So have a “Holly Jolly Christmas” and start counting down the days to “The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year’ with our brand-new Rudolph items, the Singing Rudolph Ornament Set (playing songs from the TV special) and our exclusive Jim Shore figurines of Sam The Snowman, Santa With Rudolph, and The Bumble.

But don’t stop there! We also have a T-shirt, musical mugs and more!

So what if it’s September? Be a kid again and start getting hopped-up for the holidays now! Just remember to take your mittens off before you surf the web!