See Where Santa Has Lost 30 Pounds in 20 Years
British retailer tracks down the incredibly shrinking Santa.
LONDON— -- Is Santa Claus on a diet? Christmas card alterations in the past 20 years show Santa has lost more than 30 pounds, according to a review of cards by U.K. retailer Clintons.
“As a nation, we are more mindful than in the olden days of being healthy and getting fit,” Tim Fairs, marketing and e-commerce director for the greeting card and gift products company, told ABC News of the shrinking Santa estimate, adding his company is “driven by what customers want.”
While Christmas is, for many, about tradition, the change has been subtle and does not appear to have generated any complaints from customers, Fair said.
The first-ever Christmas card was designed by Englishman John Callcott Horsley in 1843.
Recent changes to Santa’s image also include more rosy cheeks and lighter red clothes, according the company's review of Christmas cards from 25 different publishers in the U.K. and around the world. Overall, depictions of Father Christmas are down slightly (5.6 percent) but his influence remains strong, with 12.7 percent more characters on cards wearing his trademark red hat than 20 years ago, Clintons said.
The image of a big and jolly Santa was popularized by Coca-Cola ads. Before 1931, Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf, according to the Coca-Cola Co.
Other significant changes in festive season cards include robins and snowmen. The robin redbreast now appears on 23.4 percent fewer cards than before, and there are 17.1 percent more snowmen. In addition, glitter now appears on 34.7 percent more cards than it did two decades ago.
“New technology has cheapened the way we communicate,” Fair said, adding that he believes Christmas cards are unique at a time when people want to share how they feel.
