Mall Santa: Difference between revisions

 

Occasionally one encounters a ''Jewish'' mall Santa.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In issue #378 of ''[[Hulk|The Incredible Hulk]]'' (by [[Peter David]]), Rhino (a supervillain) becomes a Mall Santa, He givies this advice to kids: "Give! Give! Give! You want everything handed to you! Why not do what I do? Take stuff! See it? Want it? Take it!"

** Archie gets this job himself a lot. One year he tried to use it to get present intel from Betty and Veronica, but the girls saw through it and tricked him instead. Another year he learned the [[True Meaning of Christmas]] from some special children he met on the job.

** A one-shot Li'l Jinx featured the titular character pestering a mall santa about a letter she got.

** Yet another story featured Betty and Veronica as [[Sweet Polly Oliver|Mall Santas]]. This isn't counting the times they've just worn a [[Sexy Santa Dress]].

 

== [[Film]] ==

* Classic film example from a child's perspective: ''[[A Christmas Story]]''.

* Both versions of ''[[Miracle on 34th Street]]'' use the real Santa, Kris Kringle, as a department store Santa. In the original, it's Macy's; in the remake, it's [[Brand X|Cole's]]. At least in the original, he's replacing a terrible, drunken Mall Santa, so bonus points there.

* ''[[Elf]]'' - Buddy, who knows the real Santa, is incensed when an impostor shows up at the department store he works in. He accuses the fake of smelling "like beef and cheese!" and gets into a fistfight with him. After that, the store gets a different Santa- who is ''black''.

* The European horror/comedy short subjects ''[[Rare Exports]]'' purport to tell the true story of where the red-suited entities seen in stores at Christmas actually come from. {{spoiler|They're actually centuries-old cryptozoological wild men, captured and trained until they can be trusted to hold children on their laps without ripping them apart. That is, unless someone is foolish enough to do one of the things that enrages them... }} It's revealed in [[The Movie]] {{spoiler|that these "Santas" are in fact just Santa's little elves. The ''real'' Santa is [[Eldritch Abomination|much, much worse]]. And most definitely Mall Santa material.}}

* In ''[[Home Alone]]'', Kevin runs to find a Santa in time on Christmas Eve. He finds one getting into his car after quiting time. He quickly puts his beard back on and does his best Jolly Old St. Nick, but Kevin tells him not to bother. He already knows he's not the real Santa, but he knows he does work for him. He then asks him to relay the message that he wants his family back.

* The one in ''[[All I Want for Christmas]]'' is visited twice, due to Hallie thinking her wish was [[Exact Words|phrased wrong]].

* ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' features a scene of [[Peter Jackson]] as Father Christmas stabbing [[Simon Pegg]] in the hand.

* The crime film ''The Silent Partner'' involves a mall Santa who turns out to be a bank robber...and then gets caught up in dueling gambits with a teller at the bank who wants to keep the loot for himself.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* In ''[[Kevin and Kell]]'', Kevin takes a temp job as a mall Santa to earn the money to buy Kell's family heirlooms from her brother Ralph, who plans to sell them off anyway. He's surprised when ex-wife Angelique, herding her stepchildren from her (failed) second marriage, fails to recognize him. (It's pointed out to him that, with twenty children to keep track of, ''anyone'' would be a bit distracted.)

* In ''[[PvP]]'', Skull is accidentally pressganged into being a mall Santa while stoned on a bad orange julius and ends up telling a mother where she can buy the game console Francis had squirreled away for himself.

** On top of this, though, the first girl on his lap mentioned how she'd asked for a puppy the year before, and instead got Tap shoes (metal plates on the heels and toes). Her mother told her to thank Santa for bringing them, and she decided [[Groin Attack|to show them off]], leading into a [[Curse Cut Short]]. Given ''just that'' experience, who can blame Jason for being a bit cynical?

* ''[[Multiplex]]'' has the Blogger play the part of a ''movie theater'' Santa, in which role he frequently argues with the kids' taste in movies, at odds with the jolly persona he's supposed to maintain. On quite a few ocassions he loses the arguement.

* ''[[The Ends]]'' has the crazy priest preaching from a mall Santa's chair.

* Psycho Mantis attempted to get a job as one in ''[[The Last Days of Foxhound]]''. He bounced when someone got ahold of his employee record (or, rather, complete lack of one). Ocelot, upon learning of it, becomes completely freaked out.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* ''[[The Simpsons]]''

** The pilot.

* ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' had hard-nosed gumshoe Harvey Bullock going undercover as a mall Santa. Let's just say there have been better candidates.

{{quote|'''Kid''': "You're not the real Santy Clause!"

* [[Metalocalypse|Dr Rockzo, the Rock & Roll Clown who does Cocaine,]] got a job as a Mall Santa after he was given a [["Get Out of Jail Free" Card]]. [[Man Child|Toki,]] who apparently believes in Santa Claus, ran into him.

** "Thats don'ts makes sense!"

** they also start a riot and burn the mall to the ground.

* Coco from ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'', who says she needed the money to pay off her vacation home. When Mac accidentally rips her beard off, she's fired and refuses to speak to Mac for the rest of the day.

* The main six in ''[[Recess]]'' meet a mall Santa in the [[Christmas Episode]]. Though out of frustration, he rips his beard off and asks his assistant if they can get the next mall Santa to cover.

 

== Other ==

[[Category:Christmas Tropes]]

[[Category:Plots]]