What animal is featured in Coca-Cola's Christmas ads since 1993?

The animal featured in Coca-Cola’s Christmas advertising since 1993 is the polar bear. The company’s animated polar bears became especially recognizable through the “Northern Lights” commercial, part of the Always Coca-Cola campaign.

Coca-Cola’s association with polar bears actually began much earlier. A polar bear appeared in a French Coca-Cola print advertisement in 1922, but the animal was used only sporadically for many decades. The 1993 campaign transformed the bear into a recurring advertising character and a recognizable seasonal symbol.

The “Northern Lights” advertisement showed polar bears gathering to drink Coca-Cola while watching the aurora borealis. Later commercials introduced bear cubs and family groups, often placing them in snowy or holiday settings. This history explains why the polar bear is strongly linked with Coca-Cola Christmas advertising, even though Santa Claus, red delivery trucks, snow, and other winter imagery also appear in the brand’s holiday campaigns.