Santa Claus, St. Nick, Father Christmas – whatever you call this man, we can all agree that he is one of the most iconic, if not the most important, parts of the holidays. Every year, children from across the world write letters to the big guy for presents and eagerly wait for the arrival of him on December 24th.
We traced the history of Santa Claus here, and we found out the very origins of this iconic man. However, one thing is debated time and time again. This is, why does Santa wear red? Many people believe that the global soft drink company Coca-Cola was the cause of this. They believe the red in Santa’s attire came from their marketing team.
Well, this is not true. Santa was featured in many different adverts, pictures and even poetry before Coca-Cola used him as part of their brand.
In the famous 1822 poem A Visit From St Nicholas, which is more commonly known by its line, “Twas the night before Christmas,” a description of Santa’s clothing and personality became the definition of the modern festive figure.
In 1863, cartoonist Thomas Nast depicted Santa in an issue of Harper’s Weekly. This image shows a man in a hat with a beard and a big coat, but it is in black and white.
An advert from 1868 for US Confection Company’s Sugar Plums showed a man with a white beard and a red suit. It featured on the cover of humour magazine Puck. In 1881, Nast produced an image of Merry Old Santa with a plump man in a red suit.
Coca-Cola did not use the image of St. Nick until the 1930s. The drink was associated with the summer months due to it being a refreshing, cold drink for a warm day. Most consumers would agree that this is still something they would notice today. Every year, the Coca-Cola advert of festive lorries with twinkling lights driving through a snowy town is shown on television. It is a sign that the “holidays are coming” for many.
The company hired artist Haddon Sunbloom to illustrate Santa Claus for them to use in festive campaigns over the winter months.
So, there you have it. The red in Santa’s suit was merely convenient for Coca-Cola, as it matched their pre-existing company colours. Their marketing certainly helped the image of Santa Claus to become popular.
Indeed, it was the cartoonists and writers of the 19th century that helped to create the image of Santa Claus that we know today. They gave him many of features we would associate with the jolly character. They also helped them to live on to the popularity of today.
