Did Coca-Cola Invent Santa? The Myth, the Red Suit and Father Christmas

Did Coca-Cola invent Santa? No. Santa Claus and Father Christmas existed long before the first Coke advert, and Santa was already shown in red decades before 1931. Coca-Cola says so itself: "Coca-Cola did not create the legend of Santa Claus."¹ What its adverts did was fix one particular look, the warm, plump grandfather with rosy cheeks.¹

In Britain the story goes back even further. Father Christmas was a figure in English carols, plays and pamphlets centuries before an American soft drink company existed, and he wore all sorts of colours, including green.²

Here is the full timeline: where the myth comes from, how red Santa really became, what Haddon Sundblom painted, and how the Coca-Cola Christmas truck became part of a British December.

Did Coca-Cola invent Santa Claus? The short answer

Coca-Cola's British website answers the question directly: the company did not create the legend, but its advertising "did play a big role in shaping the jolly character we know today".¹ Before 1931, it says, Santa was shown in many ways, including a tall gaunt man, an elf and even a scary figure.¹

The Scottish fact-checking site The Ferret looked at the claim in 2017 and rated it false: Coca-Cola standardised Santa's look rather than inventing it.⁵

Father Christmas was here first

The British Father Christmas has a long history of his own. A 15th-century carol attributed to Richard Smart, rector of Plymtree in Devon, has "Sir Christemas" announcing the news of Christ's birth. Ben Jonson put Christmas on stage as a character in his "Christmas, His Masque" of 1616.²

When the Puritans took control in the 1640s, they tried to abolish Christmas and its customs. In 1658 Josiah King published "The Examination and Tryall of Old Father Christmas", which the Oxford English Dictionary recognises as the earliest use of the term "Father Christmas".² At that time he was a symbol of feasting and good cheer, not yet a bringer of presents for children.

Green, scarlet, brown or blue

In Victorian England, Father Christmas had no fixed colour. In 1842 the Quaker diarist Barclay Fox described a family party with "the venerable effigies of Father Christmas with scarlet coat & cocked hat". A year later John Leech drew the Ghost of Christmas Present for Dickens' A Christmas Carol in a green robe.² Red was always the most common colour, but he could also be shown in brown, green, blue or white.²

The American Santa Claus arrived in England in the 1850s. By the 1880s the two figures had merged, and the night-time visitor was called Santa Claus by some families and Father Christmas by others.² Our article Father Christmas vs Santa Claus tells that story in detail.

Did Coca-Cola make Santa red?

No, and Coca-Cola's own history page says it plainly: Santa appeared in a red coat before Sundblom painted him.³ In America, Thomas Nast drew Santa for Harper's Weekly in 1863, at that time dressed in the American flag.⁶ Red suits appeared on Harper's Weekly covers for at least 40 years before Sundblom,⁷ and Puck magazine showed Santa in red and white on several covers in the early 1900s.⁶

Coca-Cola was not even the first drinks company to use Santa. White Rock used a Santa figure in black and white adverts for mineral water in 1915, and colour images for drink mixers between 1923 and 1925.⁶

Why is Santa red, then?

Red had already won before Coca-Cola came along. In England, red was always the most common colour for Father Christmas, even though illustrators took many years to agree on it.² In America, Santa had been wearing red on magazine covers for decades.⁷ Coca-Cola's own red and white branding simply fitted the picture, which is why the myth sticks so well.

What Haddon Sundblom really did

In 1930 the artist Fred Mizen painted a department store Santa drinking a Coke, which appeared in The Saturday Evening Post. A year later the advertising executive Archie Lee wanted a wholesome, realistic Santa, and Coca-Cola commissioned the Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom.³

Sundblom took his inspiration from the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". His Santa was warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human. At first his model was a friend, the retired salesman Lou Prentiss. Later Sundblom painted himself in a mirror. From 1931 to 1964 his Santa delivered toys, read letters and raided fridges in Coca-Cola adverts, and his final version was painted in 1964.³

The Coca-Cola Christmas truck in the UK

For many British families, Christmas starts when the red trucks appear on TV. The "Holidays Are Coming" advert first aired in November 1995 in the United States.⁸ In the UK, the truck has gone on tour since 2010. In 2025, its 15th year, it visited 15 places, working with the food charity FareShare to provide 1 million meals. Coca-Cola says the 2024 tour drew more than 53,000 visitors.⁴ In 2024 the truck stopped in London on 21 November.⁹

Why the truck is controversial

Not everyone welcomes it. In January 2017, the public health experts Ireland and Ashton criticised the tour in the BMJ, arguing that it promotes sugary drinks to children. "Apparently, Coca-Cola's voice counts more than those of the directors of public health," they wrote.¹⁰

Coca-Cola Christmas truck tour 2026

When this article was written, Coca-Cola had not published the 2026 dates. In 2025 the tour was announced on 17 November.⁴ Check Coca-Cola's UK website from mid-November.

Where did the bishop's robes come from? Read St Nicholas vs Santa Claus. And if your child asks whether the man in red is real, our guide Is Father Christmas real? helps you answer.

Did Coca-Cola invent Santa? Common questions

Did Coca-Cola invent Santa Claus?

No. Coca-Cola says itself that it did not create the legend of Santa Claus. Its 1931 adverts by Haddon Sundblom shaped the friendly, rosy-cheeked image many people know today.

Did Coca-Cola make Santa red?

No. Santa wore red on magazine covers decades before 1931, and Father Christmas was described in a scarlet coat in England in 1842. Coca-Cola's own history page says Santa appeared in a red coat before Sundblom painted him.

Who invented Santa Claus?

Nobody alone. Santa grew out of St Nicholas, Dutch Sinterklaas customs in New York, the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" and illustrators such as Thomas Nast. In Britain he merged with the much older Father Christmas.

Why is Santa red if it was not Coca-Cola?

Red was already the most common colour for Father Christmas and Santa in the 19th century, although he was also shown in green, brown, blue or white. By the 1880s the red image dominated.

When was Father Christmas green?

Father Christmas appeared in various colours, green included. A famous example is John Leech's 1843 drawing of the Ghost of Christmas Present for Dickens' A Christmas Carol, in a green robe.

When does the Coca-Cola Christmas truck tour start?

Coca-Cola usually announces the UK tour in November. The first UK tour was in 2010; the 2025 tour was announced on 17 November with 15 stops. Dates for 2026 had not been published when this article was written.

Sources

1. 1Coca-Cola GB: Did Coca-Cola create Santa Claus? (coca-cola.com)
2. 2Wikipedia: Father Christmas (en.wikipedia.org)
3. 3The Coca-Cola Company: Haddon Sundblom and the Coca-Cola Santas (coca-colacompany.com)
4. 4Coca-Cola GB: Holidays Are Coming truck tour 2025 (coca-cola.com)
5. 5The Ferret: Fact check, did Coca-Cola make Santa red? (theferret.scot)
6. 6Wikipedia: Santa Claus (en.wikipedia.org)
7. 7Wikipedia: Santa suit (en.wikipedia.org)
8. 8Westport Tech Museum: Holidays Are Coming premiered in November 1995 (westporttechmuseum.com)
9. 9Time Out London: The Coca-Cola Christmas truck is coming to London (timeout.com)
10. 10AJMC: Public health experts want to ban Britain's Coca-Cola Christmas truck (ajmc.com)