Ben Gilbert

And Woodruff, his lieutenants, would often go around saying that what Woodruff wants to do is make Coca-Cola the most American thing in America.

It's amazing.

And really bring the modern Santa Claus into existence, period.

They sort of standardized the concept of Santa.

The one that we see today is pretty much Coca-Cola's Santa.

Right.

First, let's bust that myth.

And there was a very popular Santa, which was Thomas Nast's Santa.

who is this sort of shorter elf-like Santa, we'll link to it in the email, that is on its way to becoming Santa, but is not the big, smiley, approachable, sort of red-faced, cheery, jolly Santa.

That's right, because sometimes Santa was red, sometimes Santa was green.

Which is funny because Pepsi also did do some Santa illustrations, but Coke kind of ran away with it and it became clear pretty early.

Coke is just going to own Santa.

Yep.

David, do you know who Haddon Sundblom also created or created the most famous illustration of?

I don't.

I should know.

There's two.

One is Quaker Oats, the Quaker Oats man.

Which interestingly is owned by Pepsi today.

And the other is Aunt Jemima.