Legendary Santa: The Story Behind Coca-Cola’s Jolly Icon

Which emerged initially: the merry, silver-haired Santa or a chilled, invigorating Coke®? Historical accounts reveal that the Coca-Cola company played a significant role in crafting Santa’s image, and the jolly, chuckling Santa with ruddy cheeks and a rounded belly ends his day with a delightfully refreshing coca-cola. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Santa Claus was often portrayed as a thin, and at times, intimidating figure. Hardly an individual children worldwide would be thrilled to find by their bedside on Christmas Eve. It was not until 1931 that Coca-Cola engaged the American artist of Swedish descent, Haddon Sundblom, to create illustrations of a more amiable, inviting Santa Claus for their advertisements. 

Drawing inspiration from the 1822 poem by Clement Clark Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (now widely recognized as “T’was The Night Before Christmas”), Sundblom illustrated Santa as the kind, hearty, grandfatherly figure we recognize today. Sundblom is attributed with crafting Santa’s contemporary image. This strategy by Coca-Cola’s marketing team was both ingenious and historic, even if they weren’t aware of its enduring impact. Sundblom also illustrated the lively “Sprite boy” for Coca-Cola in the 1940s and 1950s. 

Old World Christmas takes pride in our Coca-Cola collection featuring Sundblom’s Santa. These pieces evoke memories of a simpler era with saddle shoes, poodle skirts, and of course, a chilled Coca-Cola shared among friends. Sundblom’s Santa is reminiscent, approachable, keeping secrets, and checking his list. Sprite Boy also makes an appearance, this time emphasizing Coke®, with a warm smile. The Old World Christmas collection extends beyond Santa, including the iconic Coca-Cola Polar Bear family and a Ginger Cottage Coke® collection complete with display stands to illuminate the cottages. 

We adore the Ginger Cottages Coca-Cola series. It evokes cozy sentiments with both a nostalgic winter village scene featuring: the covered bridge, country store, and gas station, as well as a summer scene showcasing the soda shop and drive-in movie. We believe that the summer-themed Ginger Cottages would look charming displayed all year long. 

In an era when advertising moved at a more leisurely pace, companies had a greater opportunity to make a lasting impact. Coca-Cola left a global mark through Haddon Sundblom’s commissioned illustrations of Santa. These renowned images are intertwined in our collective memory, forever linked, conjuring up recollections of past Christmases. We relive the warm nostalgia and joy of childhood Christmases – the anticipation, wonder, and satisfaction Santa brought, but only to kids peacefully asleep in their beds. Merry Christmas to all, and to all, goodnight.