#poemvariation

[dd20century]

Santa Claus and Coca-Cola in the Twentieth Century

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on Design and Desire in the Twentieth Century on December 22, 2010. 

Left: From New York Historical Society Alexander Anderson (1775-1870), St. Nicholas. Dec. 6th. A.D. 343. Printed for the New-York Historical Society, New York: 1810. Reprinted by Alexander Anderson, 1864. Image source.

“It Happened Here: The Invention of Santa Claus,” the 2010 exhibit at the New York Historical Society in New York City, highlighted the creation of the American vision of Santa Claus.  “Clement Clarke Moore…penned a whimsical poem about St. Nicholas” (2), which is retold each holiday season as “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Moore described the jolly old soul as “dress’d all in fur, from his head to his foot” (3) and continued:

Thomas Nast “Merry Christmas.” January 4, 1879. Image source.

Haddon Sundblom (circa. 1952). Santa Claus and his Coca-cola. Image source.

So where does the connection between Santa and Coca-Cola come in? According to the Coca-Cola Company Web site, at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, people tended to think of Coca-Cola as a warm weather drink. In order to change the product’s image, a campaign was launched to let everyone know “that Coca-Cola was a great choice in any month” (4). Fred Mizen was the first illustrator to depict jolly old St. Nick for Coca-Cola in 1930, but in 1931 the firm “commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus”(4). Using Moore’s poem as inspiration “For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa“ (4).

Who was Haddon Sundblom?

Haddon Sundblom. Playboy Cover, December 1972. Image source.

Design & Desire would like to thank all its readers for their support and wish you all a joyous holiday season with best wishes for the coming year.

References

Who is St. Nicholas? http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38

It Happened Here: The Invention of Santa Claus. New York Historical Society. https://www.nyhistory.org/web/default.php?section=exhibits_collections&page=exhibit_detail&id=6101893

Variations 1823-1844, Troy Sentinel, Tuesday, December 23, 1823. http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm

Coke Lore: Coca-Cola® and Santa Claus. http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html

HaddonSundblom. http://www.mutoworld.com/Sundblom.htm

Quaker Oats: Reference. http://www.thefullwiki.org/Quaker_Oats

Haddon Sundblom. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haddon_Sundblom

For Further Reading

Haskell, R.B. (2006). The True Story of Saint Nicholas. Alan C. Hood & Co.

Moore, C. C. (1912). Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas. New York: Houghton Mifflin

Santa Claus Picture. (2010). Holiday Decorations. http://www.holidaydecorations.com/Santa-Claus-Picture.html

Sundblom, H.  Fahs Charles, B.  &  Taylor, J. R. (1997).  Dream of Santa: Haddon Sundblom’s Advertising Paintings for Christmas, 1931–1964. Random House.

[otherkinteavibes]

Cross My Heart - A variation on a small poem

Cross my heart and hope to die, Stick a needle in my eye, Horns are black, The end is nigh, Lay me down and say goodbye

[dd20century]

Santa Claus and Coca-Cola in the Twentieth Century

Editor’s Note: This post originally ran on December 22, 2010.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but no, he was not created by the Coca-Cola Company. The origins of Old Saint Nick first appeared in third century Greece; under Roman rule “Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned” (1). Many folk legends later surfaced regarding Nicholas’ legendary generosity. The feast day of Saint Nicholas is observed in many countries on December 6 (1).

Left: From New York Historical Society Alexander Anderson (1775-1870), St. Nicholas. Dec. 6th. A.D. 343. Printed for the New-York Historical Society, New York: 1810. Reprinted by Alexander Anderson, 1864. Image source.

“It Happened Here: The Invention of Santa Claus,” the 2010 exhibit at the New York Historical Society in New York City, highlighted the creation of the American vision of Santa Claus.  “Clement Clarke Moore…penned a whimsical poem about St. Nicholas” (2), which is retold each holiday season as “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Moore described the jolly old soul as “dress’d all in fur, from his head to his foot” (3) and continued:

         His eyes - how they twinkled! his dimples how merry,          His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;          His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,          And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow (3).

Thomas Nast “Merry Christmas.” January 4, 1879. Image source.

Later in the century “Thomas Nast’s Harper’s Weekly cartoons of Santa”(2) would further mold the American image of Saint Nicholas. In the early 1920’s, beloved illustrator, Norman Rockwell’s saintly version of Santa appeared on covers of the Saturday Evening Post.

Haddon Sundblom (circa. 1952). Santa Claus and his Coca-cola. Image source.

So where does the connection between Santa and Coca-Cola come in? According to the Coca-Cola Company Web site, at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, people tended to think of Coca-Cola as a warm weather drink. In order to change the product’s image, a campaign was launched to let everyone know “that Coca-Cola was a great choice in any month” (4). Fred Mizen was the first illustrator to depict jolly old St. Nick for Coca-Cola in 1930, but in 1931 the firm “commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus”(4). Using Moore’s poem as inspiration “For the next 33 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that helped to create the modern image of Santa“ (4).

Who was Haddon Sundblom?

Illustrator Haddon “Sunny” Sundblom, was over six feet tall and struck an imposing looking figure. Prior to rendering his Coca-Cola Santa advertisements, he specialized in creating images of “wholesome, sexy young women” (5) enjoying Coca-Cola. Sundblom’s work influenced many pin-up artists of the forties and fifties. Another of Sundblom’s iconic advertising images is Sundblom’s version of the Quaker Oats Man, created 1957 (6). The artist’s last magazine cover was published in 1972, a sexy pin-up style Miss Claus for Playboy’s Christmas Issue. Sundblom died in 1976 (7).

Haddon Sundblom. Playboy Cover, December 1972. Image source.

Design & Desire would like to thank all its readers for their support and wish you all a joyous holiday season with best wishes for the coming year.

References

Who is St. Nicholas? http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38

It Happened Here: The Invention of Santa Claus. New York Historical Society. https://www.nyhistory.org/web/default.php?section=exhibits_collections&page=exhibit_detail&id=6101893

Variations 1823-1844, Troy Sentinel, Tuesday, December 23, 1823. http://iment.com/maida//familytree/henry/xmas/poemvariants/troysentinel1823.htm

Coke Lore: Coca-Cola® and Santa Claus. http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html

HaddonSundblom. http://www.mutoworld.com/Sundblom.htm

Quaker Oats: Reference. http://www.thefullwiki.org/Quaker_Oats

Haddon Sundblom. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haddon_Sundblom

For Further Reading

Haskell, R.B. (2006). The True Story of Saint Nicholas. Alan C. Hood & Co.

Moore, C. C. (1912). Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas. New York: Houghton Mifflin

Santa Claus Picture. (2010). Holiday Decorations. http://www.holidaydecorations.com/Santa-Claus-Picture.html

Sundblom, H.  Fahs Charles, B.  &  Taylor, J. R. (1997).  Dream of Santa: Haddon Sundblom’s Advertising Paintings for Christmas, 1931–1964. Random House.