9 Cozy Facts About Rankin/Bass, a Pioneer in Christmas Specials

You may not know the names Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, but you definitely recognize their distinct style at Christmastime, as the duo created some of the famous stop-motion Christmas specials kids still love to this day with their production company, Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment.

So when you’re watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town during the holidays, you can impress your family with all the extra things you know about Rankin and Bass and their famous holiday hits.

1. A Japanese Studio Did the Stop-Motion
2. Rankin/Bass Also Made Some Holiday Flops
3. They Had to Make a Lot of Puppets
4. Rankin Lived Next Door to Rudolph’s Songwriter
5. Rankin/Bass Made Cartoons for Bands
6. They Also Created an ‘80s Cartoon Classic
7. Famous Actors Worked on Rankin/Bass Productions
8. You Can See Rudolph and Santa in Person
9. The Company Shut Down in 1987

A Japanese Studio Did the Stop-Motion

While Rankin and Bass had the ideas for these television Christmas classics, the actual stop-motion production was done in Japan by a company called MOM Productions, based in Tokyo. Animator Tadahito “Tad” Mochinaga helmed the studio, which did the stop motion for the television specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Little Drummer Boy.

The company changed its name to Video Tokyo Productions and went on to animate the Rankin/Bass productions of Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and The Year Without a Santa Claus.

Rankin/Bass Also Made Some Holiday Flops

You still remember Rudolph, but there are plenty of other stop-motion shows made by Rankin and Bass that are better left behind. The duo collaborated on projects like a sequel that saw Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman celebrating Christmas in July or Pinocchio celebrating his first Christmas. There were also a few holiday mash-ups, including The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold, which failed to make it into the mainstream.

They Had to Make a Lot of Puppets

Stop-motion productions need to build all kinds of characters that have to be moved bit by bit to make it look like they’re actually moving through a scene. For Rudolph, that meant the studio in Japan had to create 200 puppets to make the scenes come to life. Some puppets may have even been reused for other specials, with different heads or body parts, to accommodate various productions.

Rankin Lived Next Door to Rudolph’s Songwriter

Johnny Marks wrote several popular holiday songs, including “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” but it was his work on “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” that caught the ear of his neighbor, Arthur Rankin. In an interview in 2003, Rankin recalled he had to persuade Marks to use the song for the stop-motion version of Rudolph, which was the first big hit for Rankin/Bass.

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Rankin/Bass Made Cartoons for Bands

In addition to stop motion, Rankin and Bass produced other television shows that featured hand-drawn cartoons featuring big-name music artists at the time. The company created Jackson 5ive with the actual Jackson 5—and Diana Ross—starring in one episode before handing over the fictional five to voice actors.

The Osmonds received a similar treatment, with Donny Osmond and his brothers lending their voices to an episode of the series.

They Also Created an ‘80s Cartoon Classic

Cartoons from the ‘80s hit a particular way for nostalgia geeks or adults who grew up at the time watching He-Man, Transformers, and Jem, among others. That list also includes the beloved ThunderCats, which was a Rankin/Bass production about a group of human-like felines who seek refuge on Earth in the distant future. The show aired 130 episodes between 1985 and 1989.

Famous Actors Worked on Rankin/Bass Productions

Today, famous actors like Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Kristen Bell, and Amy Poehler have voiced animated characters in popular family movies. Rankin and Bass were able to get their own big-name stars to do the same work on their specials back in the day, with people like Burt Ives and Jimmy Durante giving voice to their stop-motion characters.

Even Mickey Rooney helped out, becoming the voice of Kris Kringle for the Rankin/Bass production of Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, with Fred Astaire narrating the show.

You Can See Rudolph and Santa in Person

In 2005, the PBS series Antiques Roadshow featured two figures that were believed to be from the actual production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The two puppets were sold at auction in 2020 for $368,000, although later research found that they were likely created specifically for promotional materials rather than the action television production.

That doesn’t make them any less exciting to see, though. You can head to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta to check them out in person to celebrate the holidays.

The Company Shut Down in 1987

Rankin and Bass continued to find success with different television specials and cartoons for years after Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but the two producers called it quits in 1987. They still collaborated on occasional titles after that, including hand-drawn animation projects, but the big, regular projects for Rankin and Bass were considered history.