I was wrong when I mentioned that Coca-Cola created our modern image of Santa Claus [1]— it goes back into the mid-to-late 1800s [2]. But Coca-Cola's Santa Claus advertising might have been the inspiration for Sprite.
And speaking of Santa and food products, here's a video that answers the question no one bothered to ask, how many cookies does Santa Claus consume on Christmas? [3] It's amazing he even survives the trip.
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ATCH-U5L-8