“Santa Claus is red because Coca-Cola invented him.” At least once in our lives, we have all heard this phrase. It is one of the most widespread beliefs related to Christmas, but how much truth is there? In this video we decided to clarify, reconstructing the true evolution of Santa Claus: a journey through time that starts from far away, over 1500 years ago, and reaches modern marketing strategies.
We will start from the historical “prototype”, Saint Nicholasbishop of Myra. You will be surprised to discover that he already possessed three fundamental elements that we see today: the red cloak (linked to his religious role), the white beard and the tradition of giving.
We will tell you how this figure evolved in Sinterklaas Dutch and how, landing in the United States together with immigrants, she merged with Nordic folklore gaining reindeer, elves and a sleigh. We will also see how the cartoonist Thomas Nastwell before the big advertisements, had already standardized much of its appearance.
And Coca-Cola? What role did he really play? In 1931, the company commissioned the painter Haddon Sundblom a series of illustrations that changed everything. In the video we explain why Coca-Cola he didn’t invent Santa Claus nor his red color (which had already existed for some time!), but he carried out an operation that was perhaps even more powerful. He took an existing tradition and made it more human, warm and familiartransforming a folklore character into an immutable global icon.
Get ready to discover how twentieth-century industry shaped the magic that still makes children (and not only) dream today. Happy viewing and… best wishes from the whole team!
