1931 is commonly cited as the year Haddon Sundblom first created Coca-Cola's modern Santa illustration.
Coca-Cola commissioned American illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop a Santa for its advertising in 1931. Sundblom painted a warm, human-looking character inspired partly by Clement Clarke Moore's poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” The campaign helped make a cheerful, red-suited Santa especially familiar to international audiences.
A common mistake is to say Coca-Cola invented Santa's red clothing. Red-and-white Santa imagery existed before the campaign, including in nineteenth-century illustrations and earlier advertisements. Coca-Cola's major influence was reinforcing and widely distributing one particular visual style.
Sundblom continued producing Santa paintings for the company for many years. The advertisements helped connect the character with family gatherings, refreshments, and Christmas shopping.