The jolly, rotund figure of Santa Claus in a red suit is a staple of Christmas imagery. While Santa's figure existed before, ...

Coca-Cola’s Influence. Finally, in the 1930s, Coca-Cola commissioned Haddon Sundblom to create advertising images featuring Santa Claus. Sundblom’s illustrations depicted Santa as a larger ...

In all, Sundblom created 40 Santa-themed oil paintings for Coca-Cola, the last released in 1964. That’s not to say they are all perfect. Coca-Cola says it received plenty of questions from ...

Sundblom's final version of Santa Claus was created in 1964. Coca-Cola advertising has used many of Sundblom's versions of Santa over the years. Related Link: ...

Santa Claus’ suit may be one of his immutable features today, but he didn’t always wear red — and his closet used to be much more expansive. ... illustrated by Haddon Sundblom, which began in 1931 and ...

In 1931, The Coca-Cola Company commissioned artist Haddon Sundblom to create what became the first portrait of Santa Claus depicted the way we think of him today, with a long, white beard and a ...

When Americans catch a glimpse of Santa Claus — whether in movies or at a shopping mall — he usually looks the same. He's rotund, sporting a long white beard and a fluffy red-and-white hat.