Great to know that people are still interested in the best moments of christmas TV. It is a pity that none of the shows have been seen in Sydney forthe past 5 Christmas's. i look forward to their return soon.

Hi! Just wanted to say thanks for the many wonderful memories! A friend pointed me to this web site. Glad he did. It's great! I grew up watching all your great Christmas specials and now my children are enjoying it too.

I am so glad to have happened upon this site. I have a question that I'm sure has been asked by a million people, a million times over, but I have yet to find an answer. Upon watching Rudolph literally hundreds of times, it has become clear that there is no mention of exactly what it is that makes the dolly a misfit toy. Is there an answer to that? I always assumed that there was no authority to ask, but upon finding this site, I thought I'd give it a try. I'd appreciate any help you could give me. My friend and I have been trying to figure it out for years!! Thanks!

Thanks Again for such a great site! I just wanted to let fellow collectors know that the Highly Treasured Collectibles website www.htcollectibles.com is taking preorders for the 2000 Rudolph Enesco Figurines and it looks as if Enesco will be re-releasing the 1999 Rudolph Figurines in September of 2000 because they are also taking preorders on those. Happy Collecting!

Christmas is over, but...now preparing for the 2000 Holiday season begins... I hope with all my heart Rick and the staff put together a remastered version of the "primary 4" Xmas classics for DVD come this season...Digitally remastered Dolby Stereo versions of "Rudolph", "Santa Claus", "Frosty", and "Drummer Boy". Also, someone posted a message some time ago about finding a 16MM print of the original NBC broadcast with original commercials...any chance this might be utilized? But above all else, there is nothing I'd like more than to see remastered Xmas specials, and for the first time in true stereophonic sound. Thanks.

UPDATE! Just wanted to THANK everyone for their kind comments! Things are slowing down a bit so we'll do our BEST to keep in touch and get things up! To answer a few previous questions: 1. I guess the hardcover version of my book is completely sold out! I thought BUD PLANT still had a few BUT they were also sold out. 2. As far as I know, the R/B 'Animagic' figures were wire jointed and a variety of materials were used including forms of rubber...all covered in a spray flock which caused deterioration 3. As far as figures for sale....I have never seen any for sale or in exhibits. Most of them remained in Japan or were given to their voice counterparts or R/B staff members. 4. TV GUIDE LOOKS AT CHRISTMAS (directed by our friend Kevin Burns) did not feature the original 'ANIMAGIC' figures! They were nicely painted resin models by Raven Hood and others borrowed from Taylor White at CREATURE FEATURES in Burbank, CA. 5. Regarding warbleing audio in RUDOLPH; it was a trade off for a better picture from the master. GOLDEN BOOKS is in the process of fixing the problem for their collector's DVD for 2000! The videos that came out in 1998 (minus the poor covers) all had a much improved picture over previous releases! 6. MAD MONSTER PARTY? will air on February 16th two more times on AMC! It is a beautifully re-mastered 35 mm print that is spotless! Check it out! Happy Groundhog Day (From Pardon Me Pete)! Rick

Is there any information about the materials and techniques of puppet, prop and set making for the R/B stop-motion animation features? Of what and how were the puppets made- was it felt on clay or foam rubber on wire? Were there machied aluminum armatures as were used in Nightmare Before Christmas? Many thanks for any help and please keep developing this excellent site.

Fantastic site, and great photos I have never seen. I would greatly appreciate any information regarding the following two questions: 1. Where can I obtain the hardcover (the publisher, Amazon and BN are out of stock)? 2. Where can any of the puppets, props or sets be found in exhibits, auctions or collections? Do they ever come up for sale and if so, what is the price range? Many thanks and keep up the marvelous work here. I can't wait to see how this site and the fan response develop.

Hello. What a wonderful site. Regarding the video releases, I hope more DVDs are produced from pristine original negatives, instead of 16mm used prints. MMP and RRR both have video and audio problems originating from the source print used to master the video version. What a shame. With know-how and care, many of these minor problems can be fixed with the many digital solutions which now exist. Wobbling audio and unsteady frames and scratches can be stabilized or eliminated. I hope careful print research, selection and processing can assist in better quality videos in the future.

I hope you guys put the Heat Miser song -- "I'm Mr. Heat Miser, he's Mister snooooowww..." -- on your clips! After all these years, and it's been a lot, I still sing that song out loud. What great fun it would be to actually have the real music to go along with it! Anyway, thanks for the great memories, guys! You made my '70s bearable -- despite the pink flared pants my mother insisted on dressing me in....

are there going to be any additional characters from other rankin/bass productions that will be available in the same form as "rudolph"?

Dear Rick, Happy new millenium to you and all at Rankin-Bass. Could you please ask Arthur Rankin, Jr. if he has an actor-grandfather named Harry Davenport? Harry was a character actor who appeared in many films during the 30s and 40s (Gone With The Wind, Meet Me in St. Louis, etc.) and he had a son (also an actor) named Arthur Rankin. Thank you, and keep up the good work. All the best, John.

We have watched Rudolph EVERY year since 1964 never missing one of them. Even when I worked nights i would request a few hours off to watch this holiday tradition with our four children. They are all grown now and living in different cities, but they still watch it every year and even call me on the phone when it is on . Although they are grown up for that 1 hour they are still 4 years old to me. Thank you for the memories, it is more than a childs program it is the kind of material and love that familes will always remember.

I think this site is wonderful. Just want to mention that if any other "misfits" would like to see at least a Mrs. Claus and Elf Girl done by CVS next year, please go to their website, CVS.com, and tell them so. They do reply to comments and requests. Regarding the misfit doll, I thought she might be a misfit because she is a ragdoll and not the fancy modern type that the children currently wanted. Happy New Year to all!

I loved Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer when I was a kid and Now I have the home video of the classic tv special. I didn't know when Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Debuted it was on NBC.

I wanted to comment on Shirl's letter concerning the sound warbles on the DVD version of Rudolph. Sadly, these are consistent on the VHS version as well, and therefore there are NO copies of the original special in ANY format currently available without this distraction. In my opinion, not enough has been made of this. Somehow, CBS has managed to clear the glitches up. A couple questions: Could Fireball, as his name implies, be Comet's son? There are eight young reindeer in this scene, does included, one for each of the original reindeer. According to the original script, who is Clarice's father? Why are photos of Clarice so rare (there are none on this website or in Rick's book)? Is it Janet or Janis Orenstein who voices Clarice? Why does the book and the albums list it as Janet when the credits call her Janis? Why is the Peppermint Mine sequence still deleted by CBS--it lasts only a few seconds! There was a Fox special two years ago called "A TV Guide Christmas" in which Lea Thompson posed with what appeared to be original Rudolph figures--what's the story there, if they all disintegrated? A final comment: the Enesco figures are sublime (I received them for Christmas).

First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of changes on the website the past Three weeks. We do have lots of photos and info to go up and we'll try to do so soon. Our website was getting so many hits that our server asked us to limit advertising and changes until after the holidays for fear of a crash. THANK YOU for being patient! A NEWS item that I wanted to mention is... there was one HERMEY product that came out this past Holiday that actually had the spelling of his name correct! It was a Men's T-Shirt (Nightshirt) that was available through TARGET. The image of HERMEY was from the GOLDEN BOOK COLORING BOOK art (by Ryan Brown of NY) and HERMEY had a word balloon saying "I want to be a Dentist." There was also an ABOMINABLE T-shirt w/ Ryan Brown art but he was uncolored. It wasn't as nice as the HERMEY shirt. The shirts could be worn as a nightgown for women too! TARGET quickly sold out of the shirts! I have been involved in several exciting RANKIN/BASS projects for 2000 that we will elaborate on when we can! THANKS again! Rick

I want to thank Rick Goldschmidt for writing "the enchanted world of Rankin/Bass". My father(Maury Laws) gave it to me for Christmas of 1998, and when I read the whole book I found myself reliving my whole childhood. I went to some of the recording sessions as a child, and saw the sheet music on the piano as it was being written. Seeing sites like this makes my childhood seem like it was yesterday! I am very happy my father is getting the attention that is over due,and love to hear his excitement from the fans at Christmas. Rick, Keep up the good work!!!

Earlier on this board someone wrote that the sound was bad on the RUDOLPH DVD during "There's Always Tomorrow" but I bought it anyway. Boy, was it bad! Every sustained note warbled and "wowed" -- as did every sustained note of "Silver and Gold" and the background music to the tune of "Rudolph" when it plays slow and sad as Rudolph plays with those bears until he's chased off. I'm surprsied the person who wrote the original complaint wasn't more adamant, it might have kept me from buying something that should be re-called. I understand Rick's working on a new DVD version, and trust he'll take care of this with the great care he takes care of everything else. I will look for his credit on all future Rankin/Bass DVDs, and if it's there I'll happily buy them all.

Hope to see "Jack Frost" in the Holiday section soon! I've recently fallen back in love with the R/B specials (after growing up on Rudolph and Frosty, it's great to discover other shows! I also learned of Tolkien through R/B's "Hobbit" and "Return of the King" -- been watching those since I was 2 years old. ;-) ). It's neat to find a website about R/B, my only complaint is that it reads like a Home Shopping Channel... ;-) (The italics tag works wonders). Keep up the good work, and please finish pages for the rest of the Christmas specials! ;D

Found this site via TVparty, and it looks great! Just a couple of suggestions.... I am hoping you will provide info on The New Adventures of Pinocchio tv series, on during the 70's. I grew up watching it and can't find any info on it. Also how about adding info on "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" or "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"? Thanx, keep up the great work! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR from RANKINBASS.com! We have some exciting things planned for 2000! We will be SPOTLIGHTING more of the RANKIN/BASS talent including our Friends Maury Laws, Robbert McFadden and Len Korobkin. If you haven't visited your local CVS PHARMACY lately, they have put out the Millenium Abominable in a small and 12" edition. You'll have to act fast...CVS is already packing away the remaining 1999 Misfit dolls. Like last year, they were not discounted and will reappear next year. I have written NEW RANKIN/BASS articles for SCARY MONSTERS magazine, ANIMATION BLAST! and TVPARTY.com. The year 2000 will see many RANKIN/BASS DVD releases with photo covers! Keep checking our NEWS page for the latest info. ENESCO will once again be releasing more RANKIN/BASS product this year and we will try to give advance notice. Turns out the most valuable RANKIN/BASS collectibles to hit store shelves in 1999 were the ENESCO figurines! They are completely sold out and demanding very high prices on EBAY! Once again, Mark and I would like to wish everyone a healthy and safe New Year!