As a bit of “Christmas in July,” here’s a collectible that I *used* to own: a large Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer stuffed toy.
This one has an interesting backstory: about five years ago, I entered a mall contest by answering various trivia questions about the Rankin-Bass “Rudolph” Christmas special. Some time later, I received a message stating that I’d won a giant Rudolph stuffed toy. I brought it home, but soon realized I didn’t have much use for the guy. While I could’ve given it to my niece, it would’ve been rather bulky to load onto the train (or probably expensive to ship), so I opted instead to sell the toy on Craigslist—to someone who planned to use it as part of their Christmas decorations, I believe.
The doll was made by Build-a-Bear workshop, and was well-crafted, resembling the young Rudolph on the Christmas special. Rudy’s nose, with a 9V battery, would light up.
Here’s a few other photos of the incandescent reindeer:
