<P> Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 Christmas stop - motion animated television special produced by Videocraft International , Ltd. ( later known as Rankin / Bass Productions ) and currently distributed by Universal Television . It first aired Sunday , December 6 , 1964 , on the NBC television network in the United States , and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour . The special was based on the Johnny Marks song `` Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer '' which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks ' brother - in - law , Robert L. May . Since 1972 , the special has aired on CBS , with the network unveiling a high - definition , digitally remastered version of the program in 2005 . As with A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas , Rudolph no longer airs just once annually , but several times during the Christmas and holiday season on CBS . Unlike other holiday specials that also air on several cable channels ( including Freeform ) , Rudolph only airs on CBS . It has been telecast every year since 1964 , making it the longest continuously running Christmas TV special in history . 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the television special and a series of postage stamps featuring Rudolph was issued by the United States Postal Service on November 6 , 2014 . </P>
<P> Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 Christmas stop - motion animated television special produced by Videocraft International , Ltd. ( later known as Rankin / Bass Productions ) and currently distributed by Universal Television . It first aired Sunday , December 6 , 1964 , on the NBC television network in the United States , and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour . The special was based on the Johnny Marks song `` Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer '' which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks ' brother - in - law , Robert L. May . Since 1972 , the special has aired on CBS , with the network unveiling a high - definition , digitally remastered version of the program in 2005 . As with A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas , Rudolph no longer airs just once annually , but several times during the Christmas and holiday season on CBS . Unlike other holiday specials that also air on several cable channels ( including Freeform ) , Rudolph only airs on CBS . It has been telecast every year since 1964 , making it the longest continuously running Christmas TV special in history . 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the television special and a series of postage stamps featuring Rudolph was issued by the United States Postal Service on November 6 , 2014 . </P>
when was rudolph the red nosed reindeer claymation made
when was rudolph the red nosed reindeer claymation made
1964
1964