No, Coca Cola did not invent Santa Claus. The modern image of Santa Claus was already established before Coca Cola started using it in 1930s advertisements. However, it can be stated that Coca Cola greatly popularized this image of a rotund, jolly, white-bearded man dressed in red. The image of Santa Claus has roots in various cultural and historical figures such as the Christian Saint Nicholas, British Father Christmas, Dutch Sinterklaas, and others.