Santa was used to advertise products by many companies
Santa has helped sell everything from Coca-Cola to greeting cards, railroads, tobacco products, vehicles, and so much more.
Take a journey into Christmas past with me in the form of old advertising pages.
Haddon Sundblom and the Coke Santa
Series of ads from 1931 to 1964
Haddon Sundblom (1899-1976) created 3 corporate icons during his career: Aunt Jemima, Quaker man for Quaker Oats, and his most memorable the Coca-Cola Santa.
He created the first Santa for Coca-Cola in 1931 as a billboard which created a ad campaign spanning 33 years. Sundblom created his last Santa for Coke in 1964 which is shown here to the right.
His image of a grandfatherly and joyful Santa Claus became the imagery used by many to portray the jolly old elf.
Santa Sold Gibson Greeting Cards in 1953
Celebrities Played Santa in Ads
All sorts of celebrities would put on the Santa Suit and help to advertise a variety of products. Like this 1954 Sheaffer Pen ad with Jackie Gleason promoting the snorkel pens with a Santa hat on.
Arthur Godfrey dressed as Santa to sell Chesterfield Cigarettes in 1948.
Throughout the decades Santa has been portrayed by many male and female celebrities promoting everything from apples to zebra skin purses.
Tobacco Companies Used Santa Claus
Tobacco companies who sold Camel Cigarettes and Prince Albert pipe tobacco loved to use Santa in their holiday advertising. Usually showing an illustration of Santa Claus and the Christmas packaging of their products for that season. The above picture shows the 1943 products.
1947 Coca-Cola Santa Ad by Haddon Sundblom
Santa on Amazon
The Night Before Christmas: A Family Treasury of Songs, Poems, and Stories
Amazon Price: $7.98 (as of 02/10/2010) 
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Dream of Santa: Haddon Sundblom's Advertising Paintings for Christmas, 1932-1964
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Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus
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List Price: $24.95
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1953 Coca-Cola Santa Ad by Haddon Sundblom
Places to Visit with Vintage Santa Advertising and Paper Collectibles
- Santa Claus and White Rock from 1915
- The White Rock Collectors Association
Does Santa Claus still drink White Rock? With the holiday season approaching we see all the advertising that comes with the season. We were wondering if Santa Claus still drank White Rock? The first time we knew Santa Claus preferred... - Santa: Coca-Cola & Santa Claus
- Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like - jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way. Learn how Coca-Cola advertising helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.
Santa Sells an International Truck in 1939
Santa Advertises Coca-Cola in Commercial
Santa Sold Magazines Too
Just by being on the cover
Magazine companies loved to have Santa on the cover of their magazines and would have famous artists such as J. C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell do a Santa Cover on an annual basis. The following links are reproductions of those covers that can be purchased at AllPosters.com
eBay offers Santa Claus in Advertising
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Santa In Advertising Quiz
Santa Claus Type Lenses On Squidoo
Love Santa Claus? He was used in a lot of advertising campaigns and still is. Here are some other lenses on Squidoo that don't tell so much about his appearance in old ads but are a fun read for those who love this jolly old elf.-
Santa Cookie Plates
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Does your family leave cookies out for Santa Claus every year? It is a tradition that many families embrace at Christmas time. Santa deserves a special plate for his cookies to be served on. The Santa cookie plate can be traditional, whimsical, or ev...
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I Believe In Santa Claus
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Yes, I'll admit it...I believe in Santa Claus. I still hear the magic bell from his sleigh when it rings just as the boy in the story of "The Polar Express". I believe that Santa Claus is a spirit that can live in all of us. The spirit...
A Rating for Santa?
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Santa's Little Guestbook
Let me know you stopped in to read about Santa and his advertising campaigns of yesteryear. Tell me about your memories of Santa as a child.
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Reply
- poutine poutine Dec 29, 2009 @ 9:59 am
- Thanks for putting this lens together for us.
It was a pleasure to look at all those old ads.
Poutine
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Reply
- shajo shajo Dec 18, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
- Great vintage Santa ads! My favorites are the Coca-Cola Santas!
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Reply
- Treasures-By-Brenda Treasures-By-Brenda Dec 14, 2009 @ 5:36 am
- Beautifully done & blessed.
Merry Christmas to you, Bev!
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Reply
- vallain vallain Dec 5, 2009 @ 10:02 am
- I love old advertisements. In college I'd spend hours in the library stacks browsing old Saturday Evening Posts and Good Housekeeping (from the 1930s) when I should have been studying.
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Reply
- kimmanleyort kimmanleyort Dec 3, 2009 @ 8:06 am
- Great trip down memory lane. Santa drinking a Coke - just doesn't seem right to me. :)
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Santa and I invite you to Squidoo...
About BevsPaper
Lensmaster BevsPaper has been a member since June 18 2008, has rated 3,407 lenses, favorited 493, and has created 147 lenses from scratch. Bev Owens donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "Birthday Gifts for the Big 5-0". See all my lenses
Copyright: November 9, 2008 by BevsPaper (Beverly (Owens).
by BevsPaper
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