Santa's Reindeer
 The roots of Santa's mystical flying chauffeurs date back nearly two centuries, to a poem that first appeared in Upstate New York. Their names have evolved, as have some of their attributes. The 1823 poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" first introduced the concept of the modern-day Santa and his reindeer. Today, the poem is better known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas".
"More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name.
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on Dunder and Blixem!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all!
That poem originally appeared anonymously in the Troy Sentinel -- a daily paper in Troy, NY, a town near Albany. It referred to a "miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer." "A Visit" became the basis for much of modern Christmas lore, and its details about St. Nick and his reindeer would go on to be the subjects of countless songs and literary works.
 The total number of standard reindeer grew to nine more than a century later when the most famous reindeer of all joined the fray. Rudolph was first introduced in 1939 in a children's book by Robert L. May. The red-nosed reindeer was canonized in the popular 1949 song by Gene Autry and again in a self-titled stop motion animation film in 1964.
The names of most of the reindeer have remained unchanged from the original 1823 poem, with the exception of those last two: Dunder and Blixem. The change in subsequent years to Donner and Blitzen has become the cause of an authorship controversy over the anonymous poem.
American poet and theology professor Clement C. Moore first took credit for the poem. In 1836, a reprint of the poem cited him as the author. Some scholars, however, now believe a Dutch New Yorker named Henry Livingston wrote the poem. Here's why: Moore reprinted the poem in an 1844 collection of works, in which he altered the last two reindeer names to Donder and Blitzen from the original Dunder and Blixem.
"Dunder and Blixem" is a Dutch expression that means "thunder and lightning." While Livingston spoke Dutch, Moore spoke German. The 1844 reprint changes "Blixem" to "Blitzen." The latter is the German word for lightning, while the former is Dutch.
The change of "Dunder" to "Donder" was likely an error that Moore failed to notice when he reprinted the poem (since he didn't speak Dutch). Eventually, "Donder" became "Donner," which is the German word for thunder.
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Quick Look at All the Reindeer
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Santa's Reindeer
Fun Facts
The eight original reindeer and Rudolph have become the accepted sleigh-pulling team for Mr. Claus. But popular culture is littered with additional reindeer. Here are some of the lesser-known ones:
L. Frank Baum's reindeer
-- The "Wizard of Oz" author and Chittenango native named 10 reindeer of his own in his 1902 children's book, "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." Their names: Flossie and Glossie, Racer and Pacer, Fearless and Peerless, Ready and Steady, Feckless and Speckless.
Bob Dylan's presidential reindeer
-- In a 2009 rendition of "Must Be Santa," Dylan rattles off eight presidents amid his listing of reindeer: Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton.
Ray Stevens' bumpkin reindeer
-- In his 1962 comedy-country jingle, "Santa Clause is Watching You," Stevens names his troupe of bumpkin reindeer, in addition to the original eight: Bruce, Marvin, Leon, Cletus, George, Bill, Slick, Do-right, Fred, Ace, Clyde, Blackie, Queenie, Prince, Spot, and Rover.
The 'South Park' backup squad
-- In the 2002 episode, "Red Sleigh Down," Santa's sleigh is shot down with a rocket propelled grenade and his reindeer are killed. That prompts the arrival of his backup squad: Steven and Fluffy and Horace and Chantel, Skippy and Rainbow and Patches and Montel.
 Leroy the Redneck Reindeer
-- In Joe Diffie's 1995 country song, Rudolph catches a cold and has to call his cousin, Leroy, to fill in. Leroy lives in the sticks, wears overalls and drives a pickup truck.
 Olive
-- In 1997, Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold brought to life Olive, The Other Reindeer, in a children's book. Taken from an oft misheard lyric from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Olive is, in fact, a Jack Russell terrier. The story was enough to prompt "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and others to make the 1999 animated film "Olive, the Other Reindeer."
 Max
-- In the Dr. Seuss classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the title character straps an antler and a red nose on his dog, Max, during his late-night caper into Whoville.
Tundra
-- Last, but certainly not least, is former Syracuse reindeer, Tundra (who now lives with a herd at the Buffalo Zoo). The little guy spent years waiting patiently at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo for a call from the North Pole. So far, nothing.
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