Reindeer Tackles NBC Reporter in Alaska

[NNN0LHI]

Blitzen, a young reindeer at the Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska, leaps on KTUU Channel 2 reporter Meghan Stapleton as Stapleton was doing a holiday story, in this image from television Monday, Dec. 22, 2003. Stapleton was not injured and even managed to hold on to the leash to keep Blitzen from running away, though he did drag her a couple feet. (AP Photo/KTUU-TV, Chris Werner)

FAIRBANKS, Alaska - A reporter for the NBC television station KTUU in Anchorage, found her way into the national spotlight while taping a scene with a young reindeer named Blitzen at the Santa Claus House in North Pole.


Just as the Santa hat-clad Meghan Stapleton knelt down with the reindeer's leash in hand, a spooked Blitzen leaped at the reporter, knocking her down in a manner one witness described as a "tackle."


Stapleton was not injured and even managed to hold on to the leash to keep Blitzen from running away, though he did drag her a couple feet.


"I thought the last thing I wanted to do was let Blitzen get away, especially two days before Christmas," Stapleton said.


Paul Brown, the Claus House sales manager who was handling Blitzen before giving Stapleton the leash, said the reporter quickly regained her composure.

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[7th_Sephiroth]

1. (singing)

oooooooooooh grandma got run over by a reindeer

[peekaloo]

2. Mad Reindeer Alert! (not a terror act)

staple antlers to my head will ya!!!!!

[denverbill]

3. Maybe he wanted to kiss her.

Huge compliment Blitzen!

[ret5hd]

4. CAPTION!! :

I ain't takin' your shit NO MORE old man...Take That...and That... I'm out'a here!

[MountainLaurel]

5. Wouldn't that make a great B movie?

"The Day the Reindeer Attacked: The Lapland Saga" or "The Reindeer Strike Back"

Though my first thought was of The Simpsons' episode where home takes Bart hunting in a reindeer corral to make him more manly, and the reindder ended up attacking him.

[ret5hd]

6. Is that the one where they end up in a gay steel mill...

that turns into a gay disco at night?

on edit: spelling (dico, what the hell is a dico?)

[MountainLaurel]

10. I think so

Where John Waters is voicing their fabulous new neighbor who runs a kitschy antiques shop.

[cosmicdot]

7. reindeer: we're fed up to here with your fair and balanced crap

[Loonman]

8. Did he ask to kiss her like Namath?

LOL!

[jumptheshadow]

9. Another good reindeer story

An executive with a large department store once told me this story:

His store traditionally decorated its rooftop with Christmas stuff for the kids. It was a cherised holiday tradition, eagerly anticipated by area families as well as store staff.

One year the exec decided it would be fun to rent some live reindeer. He had a few male reindeer shipped to the store.

There was just one little problem. These were very randy reindeer and they began to put on a humping display that drew some very uncomfortable questions from the kids to their parents.

The reindeer had a very short run on that's store's roof.