So… Coca Cola pretty much… No… Coca Cola CREATED the popularized American version of Santa Claus that is known the world over.
I know, it surprised me too. But when you really think about it – they do share color schemes (Coke & Santa), and neither has really changed for a long time. Researching it a bit, I stumbled on this video…
And just to double check myself I ran across another source (that’s probably a little more well-known to people)… The Smithsonian.
In the end — It was really cool yet disheartening, to think of in the grand scale of things. I mean sure – there’s Santa, the guy that little kids grow up sitting on to wish for presents that most of them probably never get (sad, but true). But then on the other hand… he was made by Coke.
I like Coke – but I prefer Pepsi (I like some Coke products more – e.g. Sprite).
Haha – and “red can/blue can” allegiance aside, it just sort of really REALLY takes the magic out of a guys childhood once you find out that a company that makes fizzy sugar water pretty much invented (or rather popularized) one of the most noteable and adored characters of all time. Crap. Should I tell my kid(s) this if I ever have one?
Whatever, what I wanted to show you was some of the artwork created by the original artist Haddon Sundblom (watch the first video to find out more about him). It’s pretty nostalgic to look back on – and honestly makes me appreciate the can designs a little bit more I suppose.
[cincopa A4LAzxa1iuwE]
If you want to find out more about the history between Coke and Santa, check out this article. It’s from Coca-Cola’s website – but it details a lot for the reader.
How do you feel knowing that Coke designed Santa? Do you think that makes the story less fun? How would you explain Santa to a child? Let us know in the Comment Section below.
Peace and thanks for reading.
