Ridiculed for his bright nose and banned from playing in the “reindeer games,” Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer ran away from home. The 1964 television special that tells his story added a character named Hermey to enhance the holiday tale.

Hermey, one of Santa’s helpers, lacks pointed ears like the others and is the only elf with hair on top of his head. He differs from the other elves by dreaming of being a dentist rather than a toy maker. Threatened with firing by his supervisor, Hermey decides to run away from Santa’s workshop. Upon meeting Rudolph, who is also running away from home, Hermey decides to join him. The duo is soon joined by Yukon Cornelius, an arctic prospector in search of a peppermint mine.

Their adventure begins when the Abominable Snow Monster spots Rudolph’s nose and pursues them. The trio’s chase takes them to the Island of Misfit Toys and ends with everyone safe at home, including the newly tamed Snow Monster, and Hermey becoming a dentist. Edits were made after the original show aired. Newer versions have Yukon in search of silver and gold, and Santa visiting with the Misfit Toys. Both versions are heartwarming tales eagerly anticipated each holiday season.