The Best Animated Santas to Celebrate the Season
Ho, ho ho! ‘Tis the season for Christmas specials! And where there’s Christmas, there’s Santa! The jolly man in the red suit has appeared in countless animated Christmas specials, but like the seasons' snowflakes, each has its differences. Our elves worked long in the workshop to fill up a sack full of animated Santas to fit every holiday taste.
1. The Fairly Oddparents
The Fairly Oddparents gave Santa its special touch by connecting him to the show's lore. All the fairies donate a portion of their magical energy to Santa every year so he can perform his Christmas miracles. He needed every drop of magic to defend himself when the Easter Bunny, the April Fool, and Baby New Year fought to usurp him.
2. Super Santa
When Super Santa doesn’t have his hands full with Christmas, he fights to protect the common man. The studio behind The Fairly Oddparents and My Life as a Teenage Robot produced a series of Saturday morning cartoon-style shorts showing Santa as a superhero and Mrs. Claus as a superspy. How many other Santas get to fight a mech suit-piloting stuffed bunny?
3. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
Science-minded characters like Jimmy often doubt Christmas magic, but this Santa puts Jimmy Neutron in his place by mixing science with magic. St. Nick and Jimmy work together to bring Christmas to Retroville at warp speed by attaching Jimmy’s warp drive to Santa’s sleigh.
4. Johnny Bravo
Who else would be dumb enough to mistake Santa for a burglar on Christmas Eve than Johnny Bravo? After Johnny breaks Santa’s arm, he has to take his spot and ensure all the presents get delivered. Santa’s happy that everything worked out, but he still punched Johnny in the face in his next appearance. Animated Santas may forgive, but they never forget.
5. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
Christmas can’t go on with a vampire Santa, so it’s up to Billy, Mandy, and Grim to save the holiday. The trio manages to cure Santa’s vampirism and put the holiday back on track. Well, at least until the next time head head vampire Mrs. Claus bites him for slacking on housework.
6. CatDog
Santa may have a reputation for being jolly, but that doesn’t mean cynicism can’t get the best of him now and then. Already worn down by the modern excess of greed and materialism, Santa loses his last nerve when CatDog sells themselves to Rancid and his niece in exchange for access to their riches. Santa uses his power to take away Christmas until CatDog proves they understand the reason for the season.
7. Class of 3000
Some kids take it too personally when Santa doesn’t give them what they want for Christmas. Sunny has nursed a grudge ever since Santa got him roller skates instead of ice skates for Christmas. But with the help of his students, Sunny and Santa bury the hatchet and save Christmas.
8. Futurama
Most animated Santas bring gifts and goodwill. This one brings a hail of bullets and explosives. In the 31st century, Earthlings practice their X-Mas tradition of cowering inside their homes as Santa Bot travels the world ready to obliterate everyone on his naughty list.
9. Regular Show
Santa with a sleigh? Boring. Santa with a hoverboard? That’s rad. Regular Show’s Santa came straight out of an 80s sci-fi action flick. He risks his life doing sick hoverboard maneuvers through laser volleys to stop his former elf from ruining Christmas and destroying the world.
10. The Night B4 Christmas
Loosely based on “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” this special follows Elvin, one of Santa’s elves who runs away from the North Pole to start a rap career. This Santa initially had a traditional view of Christmas and fired Elven for his innovations. But at the movie’s end, he respects the new ideas his best elf brought to the table.
11. Spongebob Squarepants
This Santa performed the miraculous feat of showing up in a cartoon without being a cartoon himself. This live-action St. Nick blesses Bikini Bottom with presents after Squidward learns the true meaning of Christmas. He may be having a bit too much of a good time as he laughs hysterically while flying over the ocean.
12. Recess
Most animated Santas have an iconic beard, but surprisingly, this Santa shaves. 9-year-old Mikey has a crisis in faith after being told by his friends that Santa doesn’t exist. He spends the whole day trying to convince his friends of Santa’s existence, and he comes across nothing but phonies, one after the other. At the end of the day, Santa poses as a man at a retirement home to reassure Mikey that Christmas means more than the jolly man in a red suit.
13. Klaus
Klaus instantly became a modern classic with its alternate origin story for Santa Claus. Klaus started building toys to give to the children he and his wife wanted but could never have. He teams up with the spoiled postman Jesper to deliver these toys to the village’s children and repair a generational feud ensnaring the community.
14. Arthur Christmas
Arthur Christmas brought a fresh new take on the Santa mythos by expanding on his family. The role of Santa Claus gets passed down from generation to generation depending on who in the family deserves it most. We get multiple generations of Santas in this movie and see how the Christmas mission has evolved to adopt corporate and high-tech military tactics.
15. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Sandy Claws, excuse us, Santa Claus spends most of this Christmas kidnapped by otherworldly ghouls. Jack Skellington steps up to fill the role but soon learns to stick with Halloween.
16. Gintama
This Santa has the least dignity of any St. Nicks on this list. Instead of flying worldwide on his magical sleigh, he and his one reindeer lug around a cart filled with only ball-and-cup toys. The show’s protagonist, Gintoki, tries to update Santa’s style for today’s kids, but he makes Santa into a crummy burglar.
17. DuckTales
Santa Claus doesn’t have to be human. In DuckTales’ world of talking animals, Santa takes on the appropriate form of a polar bear. We learn that he used to be a close friend and business partner of Scrooge McDuck. The two split when Santa’s generosity and Scrooge’s greed reached an impasse, but in “How Santa Stole Christmas!” the two finally put their differences aside.
18. The Rise of the Guardians
Get started on those love letters, ladies and gentlemen, because this Santa has big muscles and tattoos. Nicholas St. North fights alongside other fantastical figures like the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny to stop the Boogeyman from snuffing out all light from the world.
19. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
The classic Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town stop-motion special gave the world one of the few stories of Santa Claus’s origin. Young Kris Kringle defies the grumpy Burgermeister Meisterburger’s toy ban to bring joy to the children of Sombertown. Eventually, he becomes the legend that we all know and love.
20. Powerpuff Girls
He’s making his list. He’s checking it twice. But he should probably be a little harder for a kindergartener to trick. Princess Morbucks modifies Santa’s naughty & nice list to label her the only friendly child in the world. Santa falls for the trick and falls into a deep depression, thinking of all kids in the world as nothing but brats except for Princess.
21. Teen Titans Go!
The Teen Titans have faced numerous enemies like the Hive Five, Deathstroke, and… Santa Claus? The Titans have faced off against Santa numerous times, starting with his dastardly plan to take control of more holidays than just Christmas by kidnapping the Easter Bunny.
22. The Flintstones
Thanks to Santa taking a sick day at the worst possible time, Fred Flintstone gets promoted from Mall Santa to the real deal. Santa lends Fred his magical powers to save Christmas from cancellation. Just don’t think too hard about Christmas existing in caveman times.
23. Dexter’s Laboratory
Unfortunately for this Santa, some kids can be too smart for their own good. Dexter refuses to believe the evidence before his eyes of Santa’s existence. Dexter brawls with Santa (who, in this show, only communicates by saying “ho, ho, ho”) until he shaves off his beard and claims victory.
24. Robotboy
On the surface, this Santa looks as round and jolly as the rest. But when his coat comes off, he’s a jacked 80s action hero dual-wielding giant blasters. He also likes to play a bit on the naughty side himself. No other Santa on this list gives a gift box full of farts to misbehaved children.
25. American Dad
Killing Santa with a rifle earns a fate far worse than being put on the naughty list. Steve accidentally shot Santa to death one Christmas season. But Santa wouldn’t stay down for good. He has since made the Smith family his immortal enemy. Santa has returned in several episodes to punish the Smiths for their careless murder.
