This Modern Santa Claus looks simply wonderful standing about 11 inches tall. He has a soft red velvet suit with white faux fur trim and a wide black belt. He has a jolly looking face with the full white beard and big black boots! In Santa’s left arm he is holding a small Christmas tree that has it’s trunk in a small red bag with a golden bow. In his right hand is his green velvet toy bag which is overflowing with toys for the children. At the top of the toy bag you can see the head of a rocking-horse, a blue toy car, a drum, a clown doll, a couple of candy canes and a small red wrapped package with golden ribbon tied in a bow. Select this link to view our Collectible Santa Figurines.
History of the Modern American Claus.
Born in the United States of mixed ethnic and religious heritage, Santa embodies the American ideal of the nation as a great melting pot of cultural identities. St. Nick became an important folk figure in the second half of the nineteenth century, about the time when Americans were beginning to celebrate Christmas in large numbers. Santa Claus bears a good deal of resemblance to his closest relative, the old European gift bringer St. Nicholas. Indeed “St. Nick” serves as one of Santa’s nicknames. Many popular songs tell of his North Pole and Christmas Eve activities. Nearly every American child can tell you that Santa is a plump, old man with a white beard who wears a baggy red suit and cap trimmed with white fur. Many send letters to his North Pole workshop describing the gifts they would like to receive for Christmas. They eagerly await Christmas Eve, when he loads his sled with toys for good girls and boys and flies around the world, sliding down chimneys to place the presents under decorated Christmas trees. As if to confirm this Christmas fairy tale, men in Santa suits regularly appear on street corners, at office parties, and in department and toy stores around Christmas time. Select this link to view our Christmas Figurines.
75th Anniversary of The Coca Cola Santa.
In 1931, the Coca Cola Company developed advertising images using Santa. What started as an advertising campaign soon became a tradition that has captured the public’s fancy for 75 years. Most people agree that Mr. Claus is a pleasantly plump, jolly man with a red suit and white beard. Santa has been depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a rather spooky looking elf. His costume has included a bishop’s robe, a Norse huntsman’s animal skin. Our modern day Santa is a combination of several stories from many countries. For example, Santa’s reindeer and sleigh are from Scandinavian stories and his pipe and chimney were taken from stories from Holland. Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast depicted Santa Claus, for Harper’s Weekly, in 1892, as a small elf like man who supported the Union. Thomas Nast drew Santa for 30 years and as time changed he changed the color of Santa’s coat from tan to the, now traditional, red. Select this link to view our Collectible Christmas Gifts.
The Coca Cola Company began its Christmas advertising in the 1920’s with shopping related print ads in magazines like the Saturday Evening Post. The first Santa ads used a strict looking Santa, in the same style as that of Thomas Nast. Santa Claus made another appearance in Coca Cola advertising in 1930. This time artist Fred Mizen painted a department store Santa in a crowd drinking a bottle of Coke. The ad featured the world’s largest soda fountain, which was located in the department store of Famous Barr co. in St. Louis, Ms. Mizen’s painting was used in print as that Christmas season, appearing in the Saturday Evening Post on December 27, 1930.
Archie Lee, who was the agency advertising executive for Coal Cola, wanted the next campaign to show a wholesome Santa as both realistic and symbolic. In 1931, Coca Cola commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom of Michigan, to develop the advertising images. Sundblom used Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” as the inspiration for his images. Moore’s description of Santa as “chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf” led to the image of Santa as warm, friendly and human. For 35 years, Sundblom painted portraits of Santa that created the modern image of Santa Claus that lives on in the hearts of children of all ages all over the world. Select this link to view our Unique Christmas Gifts.