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This year, a certain red-nosed reindeer is celebrating a very big birthday.

The Rankin/Bass holiday special 鈥�Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer鈥� aired for the first time 50 years ago. Created by the same studio that crafted the holiday classics 鈥�Santa Claus Is Comin鈥� to Town鈥� and 鈥淭he Year Without a Santa Claus,鈥� among others. 鈥淩udolph鈥� follows the titular reindeer, who is the son of one of the reindeer who pulls Santa鈥檚 sleigh, but soon finds himself to be a misfit because his nose is red and shiny. He befriends Hermy, an elf who wants to be a dentist rather than make toys. When an Abominable Snowman and a snowstorm threaten the North Pole, its residents learn that being different isn鈥檛 a bad thing. The special includes such classic songs as the title tune, 鈥淗ave a Holly Jolly Christmas,鈥� and 鈥淪ilver and Gold,鈥� among many others.

According to NPR, the story of Rudolph originated with writer Robert L. May, who penned a children鈥檚 book about the reindeer as a holiday promotion for the department store Montgomery Ward. More than 2 million copies of the book were handed out that year at Montgomery Ward locations in the US, according to NPR. May鈥檚 brother-in-law wrote a song about the reindeer and his adventures, and when Gene Autry recorded a version, the reindeer with the glowing red nose became even more popular.聽

Fifty years later, 鈥淩udolph鈥� is still a favorite 鈥� according to the , the program still regularly wins its time slot when it airs on TV. Actor Paul Soles, who voiced the elf Hermey, told that he recently attended Comic-Con and met both adults and child fans there. 鈥淭he profound impact this show鈥檚 had on their lives is such a reward for an actor," he said. "You look in the face across the table at these little kids and you realize exactly why you do shows like this.鈥�