Coca-Cola polar bears
Polar bears are Coca‑Cola’s famous mascots. They first appeared in 1922 in a French ad showing a bear squirting Coca‑Cola into the mouth of a thirsty sun. But the bears weren’t used regularly until 1993, when they starred in an animated film called Northern Lights as part of the Always Coca‑Cola promotion during the NBA Finals. The idea came from designer Ken Stewart, who said his Labrador looked like a polar bear. Since then the bears have become one of Coca‑Cola’s most recognizable symbols, appearing in ads and in merchandise like tumblers and plush bears. There is even a walkaround polar bear costume at World of Coca‑Cola, created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
In 1995 Coca‑Cola won a legal case against Polar Corporation over an ad showing a polar bear discarding a Coca‑Cola can; the court allowed continued use of the character but barred showing the bear throwing away Coke.
In 2012 Coca‑Cola ran a live advertising campaign where polar bears reacted to the Super Bowl.
In 2011 Coca‑Cola pledged $2 million to the World Wildlife Fund to help protect polar bears, but some people criticized that the amount was small compared to Coca‑Cola’s profits. That year Coca‑Cola also changed its holiday cans to white with polar bears, but many customers protested and the change was reverted after a month.
In January 2026, Pepsi released a Super Bowl ad directed by Taika Waititi where a polar bear ends up choosing Pepsi over Coca‑Cola, with the tagline You deserve better. You deserve Pepsi. The ad was seen as a poke at Coca‑Cola and its AI‑generated Christmas ads, and it includes a scene at a concert with a polar bear and a Pepsi can, echoing a Coldplay kiss‑cam incident.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:59 (CET).