toy sales in 1939,  Ward offered a free  book to children,  one that would become  synonymous with the holiday.
It was the creation of  catalog copywriter Bob May.
- May used a  combination of things to come up with a story:  his own childhood  holiday experiences, the story of The Ugly Duckling,  and also he combined it with  the story of St. Nicholas  and the reindeer  that already existed.
- [Narrator] Children loved the plucky young reindeer so much   that Ward gave away more   than 2 1/2 million copies.
When Rudolph's run at   Montgomery Ward was over,  creator Bob May asked  for the copyright.
- [Kori] For Avery to give away this copyright  just meant he didn't see a  future for the Rudolph story.
- [Narrator] But one  thing readers learned  about Rudolph was  not to count him out.
May wrote more stories, and his brother-in-law penned the famous song.
♪ Rudolph the  red-nosed reindeer ♪   - That it.
♪ Had a very shiny nose ♪ - [Narrator] The song hit number one during Christmas 1949,  and 15 years later, the  animated TV special debuted.
- Won't you guide   my slay tonight?
- It will be an honor, sir.
(all cheering)  - [Narrator] And, as they say,  this Chicagoan went  down in history.