Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in Chicago by Montgomery Ward copywriter Robert L. May to sell toys in 1939. Here’s how the popular Christmas character — and its author — went down in history.

“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” bottom, and an original layout, top, are part of a special collection at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. The book is from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign. The book is copyrighted 1939 Robert L. May Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Original Robert Lewis May Materials Courtesy of Dartmouth College Library. (Toby Talbot / AP)