“Hunky” Santa
You know you’re not in the North Pole anymore when you come face to face with Santa Claus . . . and he’s a ripped hunk.
You’re probably in Los Angeles — at the Beverly Center, to be precise. For six years, the upscale mall near West Hollywood has wooed shoppers with the prospect of getting up close and personal with Hunky Santa, in which Santa is a young, muscled dude with bulging biceps and abs as flat as a gingerbread cookie. (Hunky’s stints are Friday through Sunday evenings, when he performs hourly with the Candy Cane Dancers, plus greets and has photos taken with shoppers. “Classic” Santa — bearded and tubby — is there during the week).
This year, Eli Wilhide was chosen to depict the jolly guy. The 31-year-old, 6-foot-1, 185-pound Angeleno sports a shaved chest and flawless tan, and on a recent busy weekend, he was practically mobbed by men, women and children who wanted to kiss him, shake his hand, have their picture taken with him or all of the above. His attire is Kris Kringle-meets-Chippendales: red velvet pants, black boots, a red velvet hat and a long, open, fur-trimmed red velvet coat — sleeveless, of course, the better to show off those biceps.
Personally, I think “Santa” could stand to add a little more mass to his arms and shoulders – but I gotta admit, he’s got great abs. 😉
December 9, 2008
Are you kidding me? This guy is a bone rack! He’s just ripped is all. I hope his elves have a little more to offer. 😉
December 9, 2008
This is weird, but…better for kids than a borderline obese santa?
Dr. Tantillo (‘the marketing doctor’) has a marketing and branding blog and did a recent post on Santa’s need for what he refers to as a ‘brandover’:
“Santa can be plump and huggable, but he shouldn’t be a walking heart attack. And besides, being fat isn’t a Santa brand essential. Being caring and generous are essentials. But what’s caring or generous about leading kids down the fast track to diabetes? No thanks, Santa.”
Full post here
December 9, 2008
ROFLMAO! As you might have guessed from my own comments, I prefer a little more size myself, but he’s obviously fit, and a hell of a contrast to the typical Santa…not to mention the vast majority of the folks who stop by to see whatever show he puts on.
So, IMHO, it’s really not a bad thing to see. Especially at a time of year when all too many tend to overindulge.