Nothing says Christmas is around the corner quite like seeing the classic 1964 movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on TV. I don’t care how many times you have seen it, you just can’t help but watch at least a few minutes of the TV movie. You don’t see stop-motion animation anymore which was what Rankin/Bass used to make this film.
Rudolph is of course the star of the show but there are so many memorable characters that appeared in the movie that it’s a treat to go down memory lane and list them all for you. The movie follows the plot of the song of the same name, I think everyone with a pulse has heard that song at least once, twice, or a thousand times. The movie is now over 50 years old but has become a part of US and Canadian tradition to be played during the holiday season. You can always count on Rudolph and all his friends to continue to grace our screens for many more years to come.
Below is our list of every character to appear in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
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Characters In Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
(In Order of Appearance)
Sam The Snowman
Role: Narrator
Voice Actor: Burl Ives
Songs Sung: Silver and Gold, Rudolph Th Red-Nosed Reindeer, Have A Holly Jolly Christmas
Sam is the first character we meet in the 1964 TV special and is our storyteller for the entire movie. He sets the scene and tells the journey of Rudolph. Burl Ives who voices Sam is the singer of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and another Christmas classic, “A Holly Jolly Christmas”. His voice is unmistakable.
The Christmas Seals
Role: Background Animals
The Christmas seals are only seen briefly right at the beginning of the tale as Sam takes us through the village. They seem to be having a blast playing with some gifts and laughing away.
Mrs. Claus
Role: Wife of Santa Claus
Voice Actor: Peg Dixon
Mrs. Claus is a bit untraditional in what you would expect her to look like in a Christmas movie. She has black hair worn in a tight bun and makes sure Santa is well-fed. Like she say’s, “Whoever heard of a skinny Santa” as she is concerned Santa Claus is not eating enough at the beginning of the movie.
Santa Claus
Role: He’s Santa Claus
Voice Actor: Stan Francis
Poor Santa Claus is under a lot of stress in the 1964 movie as Christmas is fast approaching and there is a terrible storm coming. On top of that, he has missing reindeer and his wife is complaining he is too skinny. Not easy being Santa Claus in this classic TV movie but in the end, he and Rudolph still save the day.
Donner
Role: Rudolph’s father
Voice Actor: Paul Kligman
Donner is the lead reindeer that helps fly Santa’s sleigh and is the father of Rudolph. He’s a fast speaker and was quite shocked at Rudolph’s glowing red nose. His great worry was that Rudolph’s nose was going to cost him a spot on Santa’s sleigh team. He was pretty rough on Rudolph but taught him how to survive at the North Pole.
Mrs. Donner
Role: Rudolph’s Mother
Voice Actor: Peg Dixon
Voiced by the same woman that did Mrs. Claus’s voice, Mrs. Donner is very soft-spoken and accepts Rudolph for how he is, glowing nose and all. Later in the movie, she sets out to find her lost son despite her husband’s wishes not to.
Rudolph
Role: Lead Reindeer
Voice Actor: Billie Mae Richards
The star of the show and a lovable famous character. Rudolph had it rough being born with a bright shiny red nose that whistled. He was made fun of by all the other reindeer and was extremely self-conscious. Luckily, we know how this story plays out and ultimately he becomes the hero character that saves Christmas for all the boys and girls.
Santa’s Elves
Role: Toy Makers
The elves work in Santa’s toy shop and spend their day making what else, toys. They are rather cheerful and take great delight in their craft. There are both male and female elves.
Hermey
Role: Disgruntled Elf
Voice Actor: Paul Soles
Hermey is one of Santa’s elves but looks distinguishably different than the others. He has long blonde hair and big eyes. Hermey is depressed because he doesn’t really want to make toys much to the other elf’s disbelief. His dream job is to be a dentist of all things.
Elf Foreman
Role: In Charge Of The Elves
Voice Actor: Carl Banas
The Elf Foreman is a loud in-your-face boss and has no time for Hermey’s dream of becoming a dentist. He ridicules Hermey in front of the other elves and threatens to fire him if he doesn’t get the toys made.
Fireball
Role: Rudolph’s First Buddy
Voice Actor: Alfie Scopp
Fireball is the first reindeer that Rudolph meets in the fawn meet and greets session. He instantly befriends Rudolph and tells him that they can be buddies. He encourages Rudolph to meet a doe he has a crush on, Clarice.
Clarice
Role: Rudolph’s Love Interest
Voice Actor: Janis Orenstein
Clarice is a young doe who finds Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cute as she says. They walk home together after meeting where she first discovers Rudolph’s bright shiny nose. Clarice does not have a problem with Rudolph’s nose and likes him for him.
Coach Comet
Role: Reindeer Coach
Voice Actor: Paul Kilgman
Comet is the reindeer coach to all the young fawns hoping to be a part of Santa’s sleigh team. He also is one of the flying reindeer from the song that guides Santa’s sleigh. Comet is impressed with Rudolph’s jumping ability at first until he discovers his red nose.
Bunnies and Raccoons
Role: Singers
The bunnies and raccoon characters appear from the forest when Rudolph and Clarice walk home. They are attracted to the song Clarice sings to Rudolph, “There’s Always Tomorrow”. They join in and sing the chorus of the song.
Clarice’s Father
Role: Father
Clarice’s father is an unnamed Buck who only has a brief role in the movie. He arrives as Clarice and Rudolph are walking together in the forest. He scolds Clarice and sends her home immediately because he doesn’t want her to be seen with the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Owls
Role: Background Animals
Some of the cutest characters in the 1964 movie come in the form of simple background forest animals. The owls give a “Hoot, Hoot” as Hermey and Rudolph sing a song in the snow.
Yukon Cornelius
Role: Arctic Prospector
We meet Yukon halfway through the movie as Hermey and Rudolph get lost wandering through the North Pole. He is a burley explorer with a big bushy red beard. He is the self-proclaimed greatest prospector in the world in search of gold and silver.
Squirrels
Role: Forest Animals
Just some more cute background animals. They seem to be enjoying themselves playing with a gold nugget on their small little see-saw contraption.
Bumble
Role: Abominable Snowman, Villian
Bumble is the long-talked-about evil Abominable Snowman who is talked about throughout the movie. Everyone is scared of him and he is a menacing figure. The character itself is likely one of the most recognizable characters besides Rudolph and Yukon. Turns out that in the end he is not so evil and just had a bad toothache.
King Moonracer
Role: Abominable Snowman, Villian
Voice Actor: Stan Francis
King Moonracer is the mythical flying lion that rules the Island of Misfit Toys. The Island is a place where all the outcast toys go to live out their existence. They have been banished there because they are toys no boy or girl wants to play with.
Charlie In A Box
Role: Guards Misfit Island
Voice Actor: Alfie Scopp
Charlie guards Misfit Island and is the first toy the lost wanderers run into. Charlie is on the island because, well, his name is Charlie. As he puts it, “No kid wants to play with a Charlie-in-a-Box”.
Misfit Toys
Role: Random Toys
Just a collection of random misfit toys that roam the Island. They welcome Rudolph and the gang to the island with a song.
Here are some of the issues of the misfit toys that make them outcasts:
- A Spotted Elephant
- A Choo-Choo Train with square rear wheels
- A Water Pistol that shoots jelly
- A Bird that doesn’t fly, it swims
- A Cowboy who rides an Ostrich
- A Boat that can’t stay afloat
Baby Polar Bears
Role: Guards Misfit Island
Voice Actor: Alfie Scopp
A couple of baby polar bears that Rudolph befriends for a short time. Eventually, the polar bear’s father calls them away and Rudolph is alone again.
Nerd Elf
Role: Just an Elf
This tall, nerdy-looking elf serves no other purpose other than being a background elf. However, he is much taller and has a pair of unique glasses that make him stand out amongst the rest. He was worth pointing out as another character in the movie.
Facts About Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
- The 1964 Rudolph movie was made with stop-motion animation technology by Rankin/Bass. Eighty-two puppets were made out of composition rubber and were on average 8 inches tall. The puppets were moved one motion at a time and photographed each time. This is the time-consuming process of stop-motion animation and it took the crew 18 months to film and cost over $500,000.
- Rudolph’s nose was a custom-made 12-volt lightbulb.
- The misfit red-headed rag doll toy, Dolly, appears to have no physical issues and thus makes her an outcast rather odd. The movie’s producer stated that her problem was physiological from being abandoned and unloved.
- Rudolph is the ninth reindeer on Santa’s team and the youngest
