Did Coca-Cola Secretly Create Santa Claus as We Know Him?

Over the weekend, I had this fun conversation about how Santa Claus came to be—you know, the jolly old guy we all picture with the red suit and white beard. Someone mentioned that Coca-Cola invented Santa Claus, and I was like, “Wait, did they really?” So I did some digging, and guess what? They didn’t! But Coca-Cola did have a massive hand in shaping the version of Santa we all know today.

I found this out straight from Coca-Cola’s website, so you know it’s legit. Before 1931, Santa looked very different depending on where you were in the world. Some people imagined him as a skinny, almost ghostly figure, and in other places, he was this little elf-like guy. And believe it or not, there were even some downright creepy versions of Santa back in the day. He wasn’t always the warm and fuzzy guy we think of now.

That all changed in 1931 when Coca-Cola decided to make Santa the face of their Christmas advertising campaign. They hired this super talented illustrator, Haddon Sundblom, to bring Santa to life in a whole new way. Sundblom’s paintings showed Santa as this cheerful, larger-than-life character with rosy cheeks, twinkling eyes, and a thick, fluffy white beard. He looked like someone who’d laugh with you, eat your cookies, and maybe even sneak another sip of milk.

What’s cool is that Sundblom wasn’t just making stuff up. He actually based his Santa on an 1822 poem called A Visit from St. Nicholas—you probably know it as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. That poem is where a lot of the details about Santa’s look and personality come from, like the red suit and his merry vibe.

Coca-Cola’s Santa took off. Those ads ran for decades, and his image started showing up everywhere—on billboards, in magazines, and even in stores. Eventually, Sundblom’s version of Santa became the Santa. He wasn’t just selling soda; he was spreading holiday cheer all over the world.

So, while Coca-Cola didn’t actually create Santa Claus, they played a huge role in giving him the look and charm that we all recognize today. It’s pretty amazing how one ad campaign could help define such a big part of Christmas. Next time you see Santa with that iconic Coca-Cola bottle, you’ll know the real story behind it.