Why Is Dolly In The Rudolph Movie A Misfit Toy? The Answer Is Too Dark For Kids
The long-running stop-motion holiday classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" introduced families to the lovable gang of unwanted playthings on the Island of Misfit Toys. Abandoned due to their abnormalities ranging from a square-wheeled train to a jelly-squirting water gun, the cute and cuddly characters await the day they can find children to love them. Compared to the other strange inhabitants on the Island of Misfit Toys, the seemingly normal Dolly has nothing outwardly wrong with her, other than maybe not having a nose. However, according to one of the special's creators, the ordinary-looking ragdoll has the most heartbreaking plight of them all.
When asked about the reasoning for Dolly's inclusion on the island by the Television Academy Foundation, "Rudolph" producer Arthur Rankin Jr., in a somewhat joking tone, stated, "I always say, 'Well she had psychiatric problems, she was under the care of an analyst.'" This sentiment was later elaborated on in a 2007 episode of NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me," where it is revealed that, "She was cast off by her mistress and clinically depressed and they didn't have Prozac back then."
Considering the toy is also dubbed "Dolly for Sue," it's not hard to believe that she once had an owner with that name who treated her similarly to Jesse in "Toy Story 2." This detail has been backed up by outside media, including a 1998 CVS exclusive toy with a tag reading "I'm a little rag doll who just wants a friend. I think that will help my broken heart mend" and the 2014 graphic novel "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Island of Misfit Toys" presenting the moment where Dolly is left behind.
The Island of Misfit Toys was made to help relate to kids
It's more than likely that the team behind the light-hearted 1964 family TV special weren't thinking too hard about in-depth character backgrounds, especially for minor roles like Dolly's, and Arthur Rankin Jr.'s answer is a retrospective conclusion after years of fan questioning. In reality, the team probably wanted a toy character that girls could relate to in the male-dominated Island of Misfit Toys. Even if Dolly's role wasn't initially meant to have much depth, there's no doubt that the ice patch she calls home was always intended to resonate deeply with the film's intended audience.
In the aforementioned Television Academy Foundation interview with Arthur Rankin Jr., the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" creator shared the philosophy behind the Island of Misfit Toys. "I think all kids are looking for guidance, I think all kids feel slightly inferior," he said. "Kids have problems, whatever they may be, and to see other characters that also have problems, they can associate with them, and when the characters are relieved of their problems by their own actions ... kids love to see someone of their own stripe, their own age, their own inferiority achieve things that makes them feel good. I think that's probably the reason these films last so long."
Interestingly enough, kids almost didn't see that happy end come to fruition. The original 1964 broadcast of "Rudolph" did not feature Santa returning to the island despite promising he would. Fan response to NBC became so extreme that the team inserted a new sequence for the following year's airing where Santa returned to collect the toys. Talk about Christmas miracles.