Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer

Who remembers watching 'Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer' during the Christmas holiday? This is a classic claymation cartoon about a little reindeer destined to lead Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. There are or could be many side stories that can teach many lessons about diversity to us all.

The first lesson is when Rudolph is born and Donner, his father has to learn to accept his son's physical difference that we all know. The issue is one of parental acceptance. Which Donner does when when given time. Donner is a good father to his son he loves.

The second lesson comes when Rudolph is at the 'Reindeer Games' and the game of 'Take Off'. The issues even when he was wearing a fake nose was getting to know others and be accepted with how he sounds and looks around others. Clarise, doe thinks he cute and he races all excited to his other new friend and jokes around till the fake nose pops off and all the other young deer back off and start name-calling for names like 'neon nose'. The young deer could not see how much they were hurting him, but Rudolph does standup for himself even though he feels like a misfit, as well as an elf named Hermie who did not fit in with the other elves. Both Rudolph and Hermie find themselves in a Christmas tree forest and decided to go off together. Name calling is not the answer, but running away as these two did was not the answer either. They both learned to stand up for themselves.

The third lesson is how to make various decisions as when they met Yukon Cornelius and his hunt for Silver and Gold and then helping with the misfit toys on the Island of Misfit Toys after dealing and family and friends and the Abdomible Snow Monster and even helping him at the end. These events are lead to learning to help yourself and others and learning acceptance.

This is a Christmas cartoon, but I would use it anytime as a Play therapy activity to illustrate how some issues can be solved. Communication skills and listening skills can be taught with each of these lessons and issues. We can all learn and still have fun watching this seasonal/anytime show. If I was still working in a geriatric setting I would show this as a way to improve memory and relaxation skills.

In teaching how communication and listening skills could be taught while watching or after the show here are a few questions. At the beginning a question that could be asked could Santa have said something different to Donner when he saw Rudolph's nose? Could Donner have stood up for his son better? Do you think Donner was right in making a false nose?

In the scenes showing Hermie the Elf, who happens to want to be a dentist. Do you think the Elf boss was correct in saying out loud in front of the other elves that Hermie didn't like making toys? Is Hermie right about running away as was Rudolph after being made fun at the Reindeer games? There is another scene when Rudolph and Hermie were walking and heard the Abdomible Monster and kind of hid themselves in a snowbank and along comes Cornelius and his pack. There is nothing wrong about making new friends, but do you think this would fall in the idea of 'Stranger Danger' and was Rudolph and Hermie correct about going with him on their journey of learning more about themselves? On the Island of Misfit Toys what were the differences that you can name and does it really matter? My favorite misfit toy was the spotted elephant.

Close to the end of the show the characters all learn to work together and share their feelings for each other. Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer is and will always be my favorite Christmas special for I have been watching it since 1964 when I was born, and I am pretty sure my mom and dad made sure that even a six-month old would see Rudolph for the first time and now I am 56 years old and still watching.