Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like -- jolly, with
a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that
way, and
Coca-Cola® advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.
2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola
featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit.
Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this
image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the
image of Santa most people have today is largely based on our
advertising.
Before the 1931 introduction of the Coca-Cola
Santa Claus created by artist Haddon Sundblom, the image of
Santa ranged from big to small and fat to tall. Santa even
appeared as an elf and looked a bit spooky.It's a common
misconception that Santa wears a red coat because red is the
color of Coca-Cola. In fact, Santa appeared in a red coat before artist
Haddon Sunblom painte him for Coca-Cola advertising.
Through
the centuries, Santa Claus has been depicted as everything from
a tall gaunt man to an elf. He has worn a bishop's robe and a Norse
huntsman's animal skin. The modern-day Santa Claus is a
combination of a number of the stories from a variety of
countries.
Many people thought of Coca-Cola as a drink only for warm weather. The Coca-Cola Company began a campaign to remind people that Coca-Cola
was a great choice in any month. This began with the 1922
slogan "Thirst Knows No Season," and continued with a
campaign connecting a true icon of winter -- Santa Claus --
with the beverage.
In 1931, The Coca-Cola
Company commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon
Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus --
showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa, as Mizen’s
work had portrayed him.
For
inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore's 1822
poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (commonly called "'Twas the
Night Before Christmas"). Moore's description of St. Nick led
to an image of Santa that was warm, friendly, pleasantly
plump and human. For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted
portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of
Santa -- an interpretation that today lives on in the minds of people
of all ages, all over the world.
From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola
advertising showed Santa delivering (and playing!) with
toys, pausing to read a letter and enjoy a Coke, playing with
children who stayed up to greet him and raiding the refrigerators
at a number of homes.
The Coca-Cola Santa made its debut in 1931 in many newspapers and magazines in the States.
The Coca-Cola Santa has had a powerful, enduring quality that continues to resonate today.
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