Haddon Hubbard Sundblom (June 22, 1899 - March 10, 1976) is an important figure to K.A.C. devotees, even if you don't recognize the name. He is arguably the person most responsible for the modern child's idea of what Santa Claus looks like today.
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick."
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"HEY!!!" |

The character continued to evolve on covers of magazines through the years, but no one had yet hit upon the iconic figure of Santa that we know today. Enter Haddon Sundblom.
Sundblom was a graphic artist and illustrator who took on the job of drawing Santa Claus for the Coca-Cola company, beginning in 1931 with this ad for the Saturday Evening Post.

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"I know it's their Christmas dinner, but I'm hungry NOW!" |
The question inevitably comes up, "Who WAS the model for Santa?" The answer, according to Coke's own website Coke Lore: The History of the Modern Day Santa Claus, tells us: "In the beginning, Sundblom painted the image of Santa using a live model — his friend Lou Prentiss, a retired salesman. When Prentiss passed away, Sundblom used himself as a model, painting while looking into a mirror (as seen at the top of this article). Finally, he began relying on photographs to create the image of St. Nick.
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"NO, Santa! Not the last Coke! I'm telling Mommy and Daddy!" |
The dog in Sundblom’s 1964 Santa Claus painting was actually a gray poodle belonging to the neighborhood florist. But Sundblom wanted the dog to stand out in the holiday scene, so he painted the animal with black fur".
Sorry, but the little girl from this 1938 ad looks LESS than thrilled that Santa is scarfing down that Coke. Let him have it, Susie! Don't argue with the Fat Man or ...
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"Oh, I don't think so, Susie ..." |

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/santa/cocacola.asp
You can also see a full gallery of the Coke Santa ads through the years by going to this link:
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fjipemania.com%2Fcoke%2Fnatal%2Fsococa%2Findex.htm&act=url

"Roger T. Reed wrote that 'More than any artist including Norman Rockwell, Sundblom defined the American Dream in pictures, proved by his work for virtually the entire Fortune 500'. I think it’s important to remember that ‘Sunny’ was about a lot more than Santa.
"His ensuring legacy includes not only his body of work but also the many artists who went through his studio and came out influenced by his very clear style – including Howard Terpning, Gil Elvgren, Earl Blossom and Morgan Kane."
Nevertheless for most of us, Sundblom will always be remembered for the modern day St Nick."
Before I forget, here is the animated TV commercial based on Sundblom's paintings ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlPXPAuE3_4
And that, boys and girls, is why Santa looks the way he does today.
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Join me tomorrow for more Christmas fun and adventure!
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