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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass . 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 copyright year in Roman numerals was mismarked as MCLXIV (1164 ) instead of the correct MCMLXIV.
The special was based on the Johnny Marks song by the same name ; the song taken from the 1939 poem of the same title written by Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May . Since 1972, the special has aired on CBS affilliate television stations 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 . It has been telecast every year since 1964, making it the longest running Christmas TV special, and one of only four 1960s Christmas specials still being telecast - the others being A Charlie Brown Christmas , How the Grinch Stole Christmas , and Frosty the Snowman .

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