Have you ever wondered what caused Rudolph’s red nose? As a kid, you probably never put too much thought into it, as you were more focused on the sentimental plot of the movie. Well, how he got his red nose might just suck a little bit of magic out of Christmas. 

Rudolph was always an outcast among the other reindeer because of his nose- this was shown throughout the whole movie. Maybe the other reindeer wouldn’t be as mean if they knew his nose was a result of an issue with the microvascular flow in his nasal mucosa. The nasal mucosa lines the nasal cavity. Its job is to prevent allergens and infections from invading the nasal cavity and spreading to other body structures. According to sciencedirect.com/ “, the nasal mucosa is well vascularized and is capable of dramatic variation in blood flow, whether passively as a result of interference with the venous return (congestion) or actively because of vasodilation (hyperemia.)” This can cause a red nose. 

While you might like to take into suspicion that just might be why his nose is red, we also have to remember that Rudolph stays in a heated stall. What if the heater in his stall was releasing carbon monoxide? Tell-tale signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are rosy red lips and or nose. 

Other studies show that being on Santa’s sleigh can also cause serious things such as hypothermia. Many scientists believe that hypothermia is the cause of Rudolph’s red nose. They say the stress of being the lead reindeer on Santa’s sleigh (with Santa being a heavy load) could cause cerebral and bodily hypothermia which can overwork the nasal cooling mechanism- turning his nose red. 

Multiple different theories are explaining Rudolph’s majestic red-glowing nose, but not all of them are nice and cheery. He could be suffering from a much more serious condition, and unfortunately, making him wear a rubber nose isn’t going to help anything. 

What do you think about Rudolph’s condition(s)? Would you rather stick to the fantasy side of his red nose?