History of santa claus coca cola

Before Coca-Cola Santa Claus needed a consistent image.

Prior to the 1930s, you’d find depictions ranging from a tall, gaunt figure to a spooky elf.

More famously, you could see Santa as a Union-supporting character in Thomas Nast’s Civil War cartoons.

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Coca-Cola eventually partnered with artist Haddon Sundblom in the 1930s to transform Santa Claus into the modern image we all know and love today.

History of santa claus coca cola ads

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HADDON SUNDBLOM

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Haddon Sundblom was a talented commercial artist who was hired by Coca-Cola in 1931. Based on primary sources from Coca-Cola, they gave him the task of remaking Santa Claus for a Christmas campaign.

Sundblom was inspired by Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas.” He used the poem to create a vibrant red-suited Santa that would look similar in a modern context. He initially used his friend Lou Prentiss as a model and later himself.

The illustration debuted in The Sat