
Episode 123: The Origin Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
From Two Designers Walk Into a Bar by Evergreen Podcasts
December 24, 2025 · 34 min · Season 12 · Episode 123
About this episode
The episode discusses the origin story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a marketing stunt and its evolution into a holiday icon.
We have one more Christmas gift for our listeners! Today we’re going to be talking about a holiday icon that began as a marketing stunt. (Let’s be honest. Sometimes it feels like Christmas is just one big marketing stunt.) But we’re with friends, so we're getting into the Christmas spirit. (Or spirits!) Today we’re going to be talking about everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph, and his origin story from a retail store’s marketing department to being the guide at the front of Santa’s sleigh. So ask the bartender for a couple of Rudolph’s Tipsy Spritzers because it’s the holiday season back here in the bar. - - - - - Mentioned in this episode: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - - - - - Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more! https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-123-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer - - - - - Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to hello@twodesignerswalkintoabar.com and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess. - - - - - Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for…
People in this episode
Hosts: Todd, Elliot
Topics covered
- Christmas
- holiday icons
- marketing
- Rudolph
- origin stories
- design history
Keywords
- Rudolph
- Christmas
- marketing stunt
- holiday season
- design history
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
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- Episode 132: Game Show Logos for The Gong Show and the Dating Game (Classic Episode) · April 29, 2026 · 1h 5m
- Episode 131: Fabric Patterns and the Stories Behind Camouflage and Paisley · April 15, 2026 · 52 min
- Episode 130: Cups, Plates and Trophy Design · April 1, 2026 · 36 min
- Episode 129: Punk Meets Tech and New Wave is Born (Classic) · March 18, 2026 · 41 min
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