A pre-Christmas jaunt through copyright law is bringing a character from a classic film home to the Yukon on the labels of some stocking stuffers.
Yukon Cornelius, a bearded prospector, plays a major role in 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Along with assisting the titular reindeer, Yukon Cornelius spends much of the movie driving his pickaxe into the ground and then smelling or licking it.
It isn’t well explained in the version of the film most people are familiar with just what the prospector is searching for, but local entrepreneur John Glynn-Morris and some collaborators are in on a secret. He explained that an addition was made to the T.V. movie after the first year it aired and because of that, something had to be cut to make the runtime fit. He says a scene in the original version of the film shows the prospector tasting peppermint on his pickaxe and celebrating the end of his lifelong search for a peppermint mine.
This deleted scene is the basis of a line of holiday products that Glynn-Morris and others are bringing to Yukon shelves and markets under the name “Yukon Cornelius’ Peppermint Supply.” They are putting Yukon Cornelius’ likeness and name to some products, a B.C.-made peppermint chocolate and a peppermint soap brewed up by Joella Hogan and Mayo’s Yukon Soap company. Speaking with the News on Dec. 4, Glynn-Morris said both products would soon be on Yukon shelves and that he and his partners are trying to line up more peppermint products for next year.
The peppermint supply’s launch comes as 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s first broadcast. Glynn-Morris explained there has been an interesting legal history around who owns rights to the characters from the film that is relevant to how Yukon Cornelius is making it on to chocolate and soap wrappers in his namesake territory.
It all started with miswritten roman numerals, which were still used to designate the year copyrights took effect back in the 1960s. What should have indicated a claim of copyright starting in 1964 (MCMLXIV) was instead dated 1164 (MCLXIV). Glynn-Morris said his research indicates that the effects of this were tested in court when a third party started to produce toys based on the film and the result was eventually changes to the copyright laws to allow administrative changes but the film’s copyright was already weakened leading to a complex patchwork of ownership of the film’s characters.
“So that's where what we did, we were a little bit enterprising, I guess, maybe acting like Cornelius prospecting along. And we found, we found something. And so the gap we found is, is the ability to use Yukon Cornelius for peppermint related products,” Glynn-Morris said about his search through the copyright.
He said the use of “Yukon Cornelius Peppermint Supply,” is fair game but how to license Yukon Cornelius’ image and who currently owns it was less clear. Glynn-Morris said they would happily license it if they could figure it out.
“In a nutshell, the reason we think this is kind of fun is first of all, the guy's name is Yukon we think we should bring him home for Yukoners. We love this place,” Glynn-Morris said.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com
