Which Coca-Cola advertising character was introduced in 1922 as a friendly polar bear?

The Coca-Cola polar bear was introduced as a friendly advertising character in 1922.

The bear first appeared in French Coca-Cola advertising, where it was shown in a cinema setting. The character later became one of the company’s most recognizable global advertising symbols, especially in campaigns associated with winter, family gatherings, and the holiday season.

Coca-Cola’s polar bears have appeared in print advertisements, television commercials, packaging, and digital campaigns. The bears are usually portrayed as gentle and sociable rather than as realistic wildlife subjects.

The character is separate from Coca-Cola’s Santa Claus imagery and from Sprite Boy, an earlier mascot. Coca-Cola’s best-known animated polar-bear campaigns became especially prominent in the 1990s, but the character’s advertising history began decades earlier.