Posts Tagged ‘Montgomery Ward’

After years of recession, we know all about cutting back and being frugal. Folks knew all about it during the Great Depression, too. Executives at Montgomery Ward weren’t worried about pinching pennies when the mail-order giant launched its first retail store in the mid-1920s. But by 1939, even the retail powerhouse had to cut costs during its annual Christmas promotion. So instead of buying coloring books, the company decided to create its own in-house giveaways.

Although 35-year-old Robert Lewis May was fortunate enough to be employed as a copywriter in Montgomery Ward’s advertising department, it still wasn’t the most wonderful time of year for him. His wife was battling a terminal illness. But since he enjoyed trying his hand at children’s stories, he appreciated the assignment to come up with a booklet to replace the coloring books. Perhaps his melancholy over his wife’s illness led him to think of his childhood as a small, shy boy often teased by others. Inspired by his memories, he created Rudolph, a red-nosed reindeer rejected by his classmates.

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