Coke-lore!

Like folklore, only with Coke!



From the Coke web site

Coca-Cola® and Santa Claus

Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like -- jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and Coca-Cola® advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.

2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on Coke's advertising.



It's a common misconception that Santa wears a red coat because red is the color of Coca-Cola. In fact, Santa appeared in a red coat before artist Haddon Sundblom painted him for Coca-Cola advertising.

People loved the Coca-Cola Santa images and paid such close attention to them, that when anything changed, they sent letters to The Coca-Cola Company. One year, Santa's large belt was backwards (perhaps because artist Haddon Sundblom used himself as a model and painted by looking in a mirror). Another year, Santa Claus appeared without a wedding ring, causing fans to write asking what happened to Mrs. Claus.

Artist Haddon Sundblom used himself as a model for the Coca-Cola Santa.In the beginning, artist Haddon Sundblom painted the image of Santa using a live model -- his friend, Lou Prentiss, a retired salesman. When Prentiss passed away, Sundblom used himself as a model, painting while looking into a mirror. After the 1930s, he used photographs to create the image of St. Nick.



The children who appear with Santa Claus in Haddon Sundlbom’s paintings were based on Sundblom's neighbors. However, the neighbors were both girls, and Sundblom simply changed one to a boy in his paintings!

Dollar Menu - Will the Double Cheeseburger Cost more than a buck?

Personally, I have eaten a mountain of these burgers. Not so healthy you say? I'm not eating them to improve my health--I'm just in the cross hairs for the double cheeseburger demographic--poor & hungry! $5 gets you 3 double cheeseburgers & a large drink. Easily 2x the food of most fast food combos for about a buck less. you do the math.



As recently as April 2006, the New York Times was crowing about how the Dollar Menu helped steer McDonald's out of a long slide downward, especially after the release of this hack's pseudo-documentary 'Supersize Me'.

"The enormous success of the Dollar Menu, where all items cost $1, has helped stimulate 36 consecutive months of sales growth at stores open at least a year. In three years, revenue has increased by 33 percent and its shares have rocketed 170 percent, a remarkable turnaround for a company that only four years ago seemed to be going nowhere."

So... now the Golden Arches are trying to find cost cutting methods. Like only using one slice of cheese or replacing it with double hamburgers (no cheese).

Would you rather pay $1 for a Double burger with cheese or wd you cough up another 29¢ ? Some McDonalds dont even participate in teh Dollar Menu, and some regional restaurants are already making the burgers $1.09, $1.19 or $1.29...