Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the title of a Christmas song by Johnny Marks, which appeared in 1949 in the interpretation of Gene Autry. After a short time, the single reached million-seller status and even today the song is known by everyone. The Christmas song is based on the children's coloring book by Robert Lewis May, who designed the red-nosed reindeer in 1939 for the Montgomery Ward department store chain. By 1946, the coloring book had also sold millions of copies. To this day, there are numerous film adaptations based around Rudoplh the Reindeer, including an animated film in 1998.