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Picker-Rick t1_j25x619 wrote

Reply to comment by KevMenc1998 in TIL that the narrative that Coca-Cola designed the modern Santa Claus as part of an advertising campaign is not true, because Coca-Cola did start using Santa in advertising in 1933. But Santa had been portrayed almost exclusively in red from the early 19th century by giuliomagnifico

IT's not entirely untrue.

Here's another interesting view of santa through the ages. https://erinsweeneydesign.com/news/the-history-of-santa-claus/

"While Coca-Cola didn’t invent the modern day Santa, Sundblom’s paintings are believed to have strongly influenced the way other artists have depicted Santa ever since."

One thing to notice is that throughout history santa has changed drastically, but since 1931, Pretty much every santa at every mall and every commercial and tree ornament looks identical.

In 2500, people looking back will probably look at a collection of what santa looked like through the ages and the 21st century will have a coca cola santa. It's the santa that (currently) defines what santa should look like.

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view-master t1_j29bdhc wrote

That’s an excellent article. While it’s probably correct to say that an ad campaign popularized his look, it’s clear from this article that his look as we know it today went back as far as 1902.

That Boys Life from 1913 would have had a huge distribution too. It’s not as if it was some obscure depiction.

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Picker-Rick t1_j2a8y7q wrote

I would say that boy's life looks very similar. Probably 90% of the way there.

Which is why I say that it's mostly a myth that coke created santa.

But, the differences are pretty important. The coke center has the giant thick conveyor belt, the boys life has a regular belt. The BL has some kind of fencing gauntlets? And the coke Santa has the trademark white trim on his sleeves. The BL Santa looks pretty average sized overall, but the coke Santa is the massively obese jelly bellied Santa...

And those small differences have really become characteristic. What I mean is that if you ask somebody to describe or draw Santa 90 years later, it's going to have those characteristics of the coke Santa.

And while there have been plenty of changes throughout the centuries, some big some small it really hasn't been any change in Santa since 1931.

So the reason it's not a total myth is that they did cement the characteristics and refined the image of the modern Santa.

Though I wouldn't be surprised if he looked completely different than another 100 years.

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chadslc t1_j272l0v wrote

I tried to make this same point and kept getting downvoted by dullards.

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