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by ChrisDG on October 22nd, 2006

ChrisDG

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Is it true that originally Santa Claus was green. But then in an advertising campaign by Coca-cola he was changed to red (presumably to match the companies colours) and so now he is represented as red?

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Answers. 28 helpful answers below.

  • by truevoiceman on November 19th, 2008

    truevoiceman

    There are several places to find out the truth about this, here are a few:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus

    http://www.the-north-pole.com/history/

    http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

    http://www.sonofthesouth.net/Original_Santa_Claus.htm

    http://www.christmasarchives.com/santa.html

    http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/santa-is-a-wildman/

    This should give you some idea and perspective on what has really happened over the years and how Santa has evolved.

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  • by Rinky Dinky Do on November 19th, 2008

    Rinky Dinky Do

    Oh, no! You mean to tell me that Santa Claus is not real? I hope you realize you're going to hell for that. That's blasphemy!

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  • by abz1991 on October 23rd, 2006

    abz1991

    back in the day santa was actually a forest spirit of germany.Because he was a forest spirit he as associated with green, and this idea was brought over with the christmas tree with prince albert (queen victoria's husband and cousin). "santa" was called St. Nicolas, and some of his traditions are still carried on in germany, for example children put out a boot on the day before christmas eve and if they've been good then st. nicolas will fill them with sweets and small gifts, however i they have been bad he will fill them with cola, this is were the westernised theory of coal in stocking for bad behaivior comes from.

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  • by Anonymous too on October 22nd, 2006

    Anonymous too

    No.

    Edit: This answer is correct. Santa Claus was never green.

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  • by Santa-K on December 14th, 2008

    Santa-K

    Santa Claus is a merge of two different caracters! First called St Nicholas who was the 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra! What colour do bishops wear???? RED!
    Second caracter is named Odin dating back to the prechristian Germany. He is the one the others were telling you about and wore green.
    I believe that the tradition is based on St Nicholas, because he came first and was giving to the poor on 5th December on St Nicholas Feast Day!

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  • by Im_always_right on November 9th, 2006

    Im_always_right

    Yes he was originally green and brown because he was a forest deity and the colours green and brown were associated with him. Coca Cola have put a lot if money into advertising him as red and so it became known in popular culture in america that he wears red and white the colours of coca cola

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  • by Ed the Jetpacking Headbanger on December 20th, 2008

    Ed the Jetpacking Headbanger

    Not true:
    From 1863-1886, Thomas Nast’s illustrations of Santa Claus appeared in Harper’s Weekly—including a scene with Santa giving gifts to Union soldiers. Not much has changed since the second half of the 19th century: Santa still gets pulled in a sleigh by flying reindeer, he still wears the big red suit and he still sneaks down chimneys to drop off presents. Contrary to popular belief, the Coca-Cola company did not invent the modern Santa. They did, however, learn how to use his image to get parents to buy soda during winter.

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  • by Betwixter on December 12th, 2008

    Betwixter

    Yes this is true.

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  • by Tom on August 8th, 2007

    Tom

    No, it has always been brown due to the caramel used since the original formula. Coke has, however, been bottled in green glass bottle which perhaps gave rise to this rumour.

    http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/green.asp

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  • by Seraphim Shinobi on August 8th, 2007

    Seraphim Shinobi

    no it has never been green.

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  • by Anonymous on October 22nd, 2006

    Anonymous

    The original Santa Claus is an amalgam of several cultures who happens to bear an interesting resemblance to a Norse/Germanic deity. The first Santa didn't bring toys or gifts. He was given gifts in wooden shoes to appease him and to keep him from taking naughty children and stuffing them in his sack. I don't remember if Black Peter was green; but I know he wasn't the jolly old elf we see santa as today.

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  • by malini on December 24th, 2008

    malini

    please read the article written by Lin Edward ; Dec.17,2008 . " The Changing Images Of Santa Claus -Associated content."

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  • by elf 36901 on March 11th, 2009

    elf 36901

    it is true that santa was green. but he was skinny he wore green clothes and lived in a forest in germany the reason he turned red is because he slayed raindeer got blood all over him and gave the raindeer corpses to the poor as gifts!!!!!!!!! his real name is steven paxman

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  • by sickofgames on December 24th, 2008

    sickofgames

    yes,he was green and from turkey

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  • by mgl on December 23rd, 2008

    mgl

    Santa Claus as Saint Nicholas is green, as Odin is red, what we have today is a mix of both.

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  • by sharpjwe on November 19th, 2008

    sharpjwe

    santa is a myth
    religions are myth
    god does not exist

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  • by anonymous on August 8th, 2007

    anonymous

    As far as I know it's always been red. But I do know that Father Christmas used wear a green suit, I think it has something to do with Coke commercialising Christmas so much that he now wears red.

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  • by orble on November 20th, 2010

    orble

    yes this is true... The original depictions of santa claus were of a bearded man in a green belted jacket. The red suit was popularized by Coca-Cola in the 1930s, but it was first printed in Harpers Weekly in 1863 illustrated by Thomas Nast.


    The idea and traditions of christmas is not a christian based holiday or belief. The idea of Santa Claus and Christmas is a mix of beliefs from various cultures and religious denominations, including paganism, early christianity, as well as beliefs from German, Swiss, British and Finnish cultures.

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  • by knowwereman222 on November 20th, 2010

    knowwereman222

    You would be green to if you drank a bottle of rum and 12 beers. They had to haul his ass in sled with major hangover and fly around all night and just about fell out of the sled

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  • by orble on November 20th, 2010

    orble

    Share your answer...

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  • by - AJ - on August 8th, 2007

    - AJ -

    No, but I heard that father christmas used to wear green, but it was changed to red when the coca cola adverts altered it cus it looked better... not entirely sure if it's true but I think so x

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  • by Hugh Geraldsson on December 12th, 2008

    Hugh Geraldsson

    Santa Claus is at least partly based on the folklore of Wodan, Old Man Thor, and Holda!!!!!! This is all to obvious when you study these deities. And, Betwixter's comments are correct about Norse/Germanic mythology and Black Peter.

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  • by SecondComing on December 23rd, 2008

    SecondComing

    Numerous magazine covers prior to Coca-Colas ad campaigh had old St. Nick in his recognizable red with white trim outfit. Coca-cola did see a good thing when it was stuffed into their corprate mugs and spent large funds making the red and white iconic outfit tie into their colors.

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  • by snjrose on September 9th, 2010

    snjrose

    No, St. Nicholas as bishop would have worn red robes, so that is where traditoinalr ed came from. However, especially in the Victorian age, Santa was shown in robes of many colors: purple, blue, brown, red, green, and white. In the 1930's Coca-Cola hired artist Haddon Sundblom to paint ads with Santa, and he really solidified the look we know today in the red and white suit, but the red colors go all the way back to the 4th century. It was a perfect match for Coca Cola though!

    http://writtenbysanta.webs.com

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  • by ellieme123 on December 21st, 2008

    ellieme123

    santa was originally green.to go with the colour scheme green trees,holly ecetra ecetra.then coca cola changed it to go with their colour scheme.but now people get white, black trees so they dont use green alot.

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  • by CaRbOnPrOdUcK is Baccuss on December 20th, 2008

    CaRbOnPrOdUcK is Baccuss

    Yes. He hailed from my home planet. Greenburg Orionvilleton. He was as green as me. ;]

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  • by philosopher-saint on December 20th, 2008

    philosopher-saint

    Sounds plausable to me!
    So have a Merry Coca-Christmas!
    ;-)

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  • by malini on December 24th, 2008

    malini

    plz.search for The changing image of santa claus -associated content....in Google
    The image we now have of Santa was created by Coca Cola's artist Haddon
    Sundblom in advertising campaigns that began in 1931 and ran for three decades. The aim of the campaign was to convince people that Coke was a drink for all seasons, since most people at the time thought of it only as a summer beverage. Coca Cola spread throughout the globe taking Sundblom's image of Santa with it.

    Sundblom based his images partly on the work of an American Civil War cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who drew pictures of Santa for Harper's Weekly over two decades, from 1862 onwards. Nast's image of Santa evolved over those years, beginning with a skinny elf-like character wearing a tan coat, to a larger character wearing red, and it was this image that Sundblom adopted. Nast was also the first to locate Santa at the North Pole.

    The belief that many people have, that the suit was changed to red by Coca Cola is untrue, as Nast had already changed the colour before the 20th century began, but undoubtedly the red image was chosen because the red matched Coca Cola's logo.

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