Tuesday 🎨 created by Romeo Muller and Antony Peters

#Wednesday 🎨

I just wrote a big article that started with this time period.....

 

The guy who created most of the Rankin/Bass universe

This is the guy who created the Bumble, Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman, The Island of Misfit Toys, Clarice, The Heat Miser, The Snow Miser and many more! Often, he based the characters on friends and used their names. This is one of many newspaper interviews I have from his personal scrapbook. Romeo Muller, Jr. was the genius writer behind the characters! #romeomuller #rudolphtherednosedreindeer #santaclaus #rankinbass #writer #creator #genius

CBS NEWS

C. 2019 Jake Barlow/CBS NEWS

Questions about Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

I am getting lots of questions about my Rudolph segments in Collector's Call (There is a bonus segment on Rudolph at www.collectorscalltv.com)

Many have asked, Who created all of the wonderful and unique characters from the Rankin/Bass version for the TV Special.   Was it Robert L. May?  No, he wrote the short story book for Montgomery Ward.   Was it Johnny Marks?   No, May's brother-in-law wrote the song and then Rankin/Bass hired him to write the additional songs for the program.  Maury Laws was hired as Musical Supervisor (The first time he was given that title).

The characters were created by Romeo Muller, Jr. in the several scripts he wrote for the historic program and then designed by Antony Peters for the Animagic technicians in Japan to make Animagic figures for the TV Special.   Romeo based several of the characters on actual friends of his, such as his girlfriend Clarice.  Hermey was based off of another dear friend.    He created all of the wonderful toys in the Island of Misfit toys as well.   I hope this clears up some of the misconceptions circulating.   Romeo always worked close with Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass in the final development of the special, but his creativity gave the specials an extra level of uniqueness that has made them sustain the test of time! 

Another Character created by Romeo Muller and designed by Antony Peters!

My art website is at www.rickgoldschmidt.com

Romeo Muller, Jr. is the man who created all of the characters in Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer except for Rudolph himself! He is the man that deserves all of the credit!

 

c. 2014 Miser Bros Press/Rick Goldschmidt Archives

We talk a lot about writer Romeo Muller, Jr. in my new book!  Why?  He was the genius writer behind the Rankin/Bass Holiday TV specials and a big part of the reason they have lasted over fifty years!  He created, as a member of the writer's guild, all of the characters in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, except for Rudolph himself (Which was created by Robert L. May), including the Island of Misfit Toys, Hermey the elf/dentist, Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman, the Bumble, Clarice, Charlie-in-the-box, etc.   Strangely, I am not seeing his name represented in derivatives of his work and his estate is looking into.   At any rate, he is the creator of these classic characters and also wrote The Little Drummer Boy, Nestor, the long-eared Donkey, The Year Without A Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.   He created all of those characters in those specials as well, which were designed by Paul Coker, Jr., after the scripts were written.   Look for more information on him in our new book The Making of Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town and The Daydreamer!   I will be talking about Romeo in the hundreds of radio and TV interviews I do this season!

Who created Rankin/Bass' The Island of Misfit toys? Hermey the Elf? Yukon Cornelius? the Bumble? Sam the Snowman?

 

Romeo Muller, Jr.

I have been doing tons of interviews already this season and I get asked about why Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the others have lasted so long?!   Not hard to figure out why with the great writer Romeo Muller, who created the Burgermeister Meisterburger, the misfit girl doll, the Heat Miser and Snow Miser, etc.   Look for the article in REMIND MAGAZINE's holiday issue and more!   I will be on the radio and TV coast to coast again talking about the creator and creators of these beloved classics!  

Here is a cool article on Romeo Muller, creator and writer of Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, from 1981

Romeo Muller, Jr., Creator of the Island of Misfit Toys and most of the Rankin/Bass characters and writer of most of their Enchanted stories!

     Romeo Muller, Jr. is the man who created most of the Rankin/Bass characters and wrote about the Island of Misfit toys, Hermey the elf/dentist, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman, Charlie-in-the-box (The only character he didn't create in Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was Rudolph and Santa Claus), Professor Hinkle, Winter Warlock, Burgermeister Meisterburger, Heat Miser, Snow Miser, etc.   Most of the time Paul Coker, Jr. created the designs, based on what Romeo wrote.   In the case of Rudolph, it was Tony Peters who created the designs.

     I am going through Romeo's original scrapbook for various projects right now and will post some cool things!   His brother Gene gave me the scrapbook and many of Romeo's original demo recordings for the various productions.  Romeo saved every article about him and all of the reviews for the Rankin/Bass Productions and many of the ones he did for other companies later in his career.

     His name has mysteriously disappeared from Productions based directly on his writings, and as a member of the writer's guild, his estate is working hard to rectify that situation.  I have written much about him in my books and featured his early draft script for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in my Making of Rudolph book.

Looking back on one of my many Rudolph interviews......

50th Anniversary interview for ABC7 Chicago

I enjoy being the expert on Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and am adding things to my collection and learning things every day.   Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass Produced the longest-running, highest-rated television special of all-time and that is why I wrote the book on it!  You can get the book with everything you wanted to know about the special right here:  http://miserbros.com/shop/books/the-making-of-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-hard-cover/

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R/B BOOKS will be on BARNES & NOBLE NOOK in a few days :) !

Voted the funniest commercial of 2009!

THE ISLAND OF RANKIN/BASS MISFIT TOYS