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* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'':
** In season 5 Frasier does a stint as Santa for a charity with Roz as his Mrs. Claus. Right before their shift starts Frasier reveals that he accidentally told Roz's mother that she was pregnant, something Roz had been waiting to reveal in person when her mother visited. Roz blows up at him and storms off wailing about how the holiday has been ruined. Frasier is left to explain to the kids why "Mrs. Claus" is so upset.
** In a later season Roz volunteers as an elf and develops a crush on the Santa Claus she's paired with. At first she assumes she's attracted to [[Creator/DeanCain the guy]] ''playing'' Santa but when she runs into him at Cafe Nervosa she's put off by the lack of beard and his weedy laugh. Daphne realises that Roz was actually attracted to the Santa persona and immediately starts teasing her about it.

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Usually occurring during the Christmas-themed episode, a male character gets a job at TheMall (or a department store in older works) as SantaClaus, either for a part-time job or as a last-minute substitute. HilarityEnsues. We invariably see a series of kids on his lap doing things like questioning his authenticity as the "real" SantaClaus, attempting to pull off his beard, asking for extravagant or impossible gifts, or, in the most crass of {{Sit Com}}s, urinating on him out of fear. A common joke has the MallSanta promising to deliver an outrageous gift come Christmas, much to the dismay of the kid's parents.

to:

Usually occurring during the Christmas-themed episode, a male character gets a job at TheMall (or a department store in older works) as SantaClaus, either for a part-time job or as a last-minute substitute. HilarityEnsues. We invariably see a series of kids on his lap doing things like questioning his authenticity as the "real" SantaClaus, attempting to pull off his beard, [[LudicrousGiftRequest asking for extravagant or impossible gifts, gifts]], or, in the most crass of {{Sit Com}}s, [[BringMyBrownPants urinating on him out of fear.fear]] (more refined sitcoms might have the kid simply cry out of fear). A common joke has the MallSanta promising to deliver an outrageous gift come Christmas, much to the dismay of the kid's parents.



In more outlandish shows with SpeculativeFiction or MundaneFantastic premises, the character may be [[SavingChristmas the real deal]] [[RealAfterAll after all]].

to:

In more outlandish shows with SpeculativeFiction or MundaneFantastic premises, the character may be [[SavingChristmas the real deal]] [[RealAfterAll after all]].
all]], or maybe he ''could'' be the real deal but [[SantaAmbiguity the jury is out]].



* In issue #378 of ''ComicBook/IncredibleHulk'' (by Creator/PeterDavid), Rhino (a supervillain) becomes a Mall Santa. He gives 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!"



* In issue #378 of ''ComicBook/IncredibleHulk'' (by Creator/PeterDavid), Rhino (a supervillain) becomes a Mall Santa. He gives 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!"



* Classic film example from a child's perspective: ''Film/AChristmasStory''.

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* Classic film example from a child's perspective: ''Film/AChristmasStory''.The one in ''Film/AllIWantForChristmas'' is visited twice, due to Hallie thinking her first wish was [[ExactWords phrased wrong]].



* Both versions of ''Film/MiracleOnThirtyFourthStreet'' supposedly use the real Santa, Kris Kringle, as a department store Santa. In the original, it's Macy's; in the remake, it's [[BrandX Cole's]]. He's replacing a terrible, drunken MallSanta, so bonus points there.

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* Both versions of ''Film/MiracleOnThirtyFourthStreet'' supposedly use In ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the real Santa, Kris Kringle, Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as a department store Santa. are his two elves. He becomes just the latest character to mention to Ralphie that "You'll shoot your eye out!" right before he boots him down the slide.
*
In the original, it's Macy's; in the remake, it's [[BrandX Cole's]]. He's replacing first ''Film/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' movie, Rowley is seen on a terrible, drunken MallSanta, so bonus points there.mall Santa's lap, asking for a puppy, a cat, and a gumball machine.



* The European horror/comedy short subjects and the later film ''Film/RareExportsAChristmasTale'' 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 TheMovie [[spoiler:that these "Santas" are in fact just Santa's little elves. The ''real'' Santa is [[EldritchAbomination much, much worse]]. And most definitely MallSanta material.]]

to:

* The European horror/comedy short subjects and the later film ''Film/RareExportsAChristmasTale'' purport to tell the true story ''Film/FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh'' has in its brief mention 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 TheMovie [[spoiler:that these "Santas" are in fact just Santa's little elves. The ''real'' a Mall Santa is [[EldritchAbomination much, much worse]]. And most definitely MallSanta material.]]dealing with a wet lap from a child peeing in his pants.
* In ''Film/FredClaus'' Fred gets harassed by several mall Santas for working on the street with no permit. They give chase of him through the streets and into a shopping mall where Fred eventually takes them out with toys.



* ''Film/HotFuzz'' features a scene of Creator/PeterJackson as Father Christmas stabbing Creator/SimonPegg in the hand.



* The one in ''Film/AllIWantForChristmas'' is visited twice, due to Hallie thinking her first wish was [[ExactWords phrased wrong]].
* ''Film/HotFuzz'' features a scene of Creator/PeterJackson as Father Christmas stabbing Creator/SimonPegg 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.
* ''SantaWho'' has a scenario where Santa falls from his sleigh and gets amnesia, and during the course of the movie, he ends up as a mall Santa for awhile.

to:

* Both versions of ''Film/MiracleOnThirtyFourthStreet'' supposedly use the real Santa, Kris Kringle, as a department store Santa. In the original, it's Macy's; in the remake, it's [[BrandX Cole's]]. He's replacing a terrible, drunken MallSanta, so bonus points there.
* Discussed in ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'' where the ticket conductor notes that the boy didn't get his photo taken with a department store Santa.
* The one European horror/comedy short subjects and the later film ''Film/RareExportsAChristmasTale'' purport to tell the true story of where the red-suited entities seen in ''Film/AllIWantForChristmas'' is visited twice, due to Hallie thinking her first wish was [[ExactWords phrased wrong]].
* ''Film/HotFuzz'' features a scene of Creator/PeterJackson as Father
stores at Christmas stabbing Creator/SimonPegg in the hand.
* The crime film ''The Silent Partner'' involves a mall Santa who turns out to be a bank robber...
actually come from. [[spoiler:They're actually centuries-old cryptozoological wild men, captured and then gets caught up in dueling gambits with a teller at the bank who wants trained until they can be trusted to keep the loot for himself.
* ''SantaWho'' has a scenario where Santa falls from his sleigh and gets amnesia, and during the course
hold children on their laps without ripping them apart. That is, unless someone is foolish enough to do one of the movie, he ends up as a mall things that enrages them... ]] It's revealed in TheMovie [[spoiler:that these "Santas" are in fact just Santa's little elves. The ''real'' Santa for awhile.is [[EldritchAbomination much, much worse]]. And most definitely MallSanta material.]]



* ''Film/FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh'' has in its brief mention of Christmas a Mall Santa dealing with a wet lap from a child peeing in his pants.

to:

* ''Film/FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh'' ''SantaWho'' has in its brief mention of Christmas a Mall scenario where Santa dealing with a wet lap falls from a child peeing in his pants.sleigh and gets amnesia, and during the course of the movie, he ends up as a mall Santa for awhile.



* In ''Film/FredClaus'' Fred gets harassed by several mall Santas for working on the street with no permit. They give chase of him through the streets and into a shopping mall where Fred eventually takes them out with toys.
* In ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are his two elves. He becomes just the latest character to mention to Ralphie that "You'll shoot your eye out!" right before he boots him down the slide.

to:

* In ''Film/FredClaus'' Fred gets harassed by several The crime film ''The Silent Partner'' involves a mall Santas for working on the street with no permit. They give chase of him through the streets and into a shopping mall where Fred eventually takes them out with toys.
* In ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask
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 his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are his two elves. He becomes just the latest character to mention to Ralphie that "You'll shoot your eye out!" right before he boots him down the slide.himself.



* In ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', [[TheGrimReaper Death]] (who's ''already'' standing in for the real deal), attempts to replace the Hogfather at an expensive department store. Since he already has the Hogfather's sack, he horrifies the store owner by giving away wonderful presents, thereby heavily eating into the profits. Not to mention Death's failure to perceive certain human conventions regarding appropriate gifts for children. Such as the full-size, completely real ''broadsword'' he hands to a little girl, before being hastily convinced that a fully functional weapon might not be the best idea (he just turned the blade to wood). Or a girl wants a real life pony to be in her home... in a second floor apartment. Overall, he gives children toys that they actually want, rather than what their parents consider appropriate for them. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not.
* In Nathan Englander's humourous short story ''Reb Kringle'', Itzik, a devoutly Orthodox Jew, reluctantly takes this job because he and his wife need the money and he already has the requisite long white beard and big belly. Itzik takes in stride the typical annoyances of overly-greedy requests and attempts to remove his beard, but loses it when the child of an interfaith couple admits he'd rather celebrate Hanukkah.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'', feeling the barghests, Miranda asks for direction, and is sent to the mall. Where they find that the MallSanta is actually Father Christmas, who can deal easily with a pack of {{Hell Hound}}s/{{Living Shadow}}s.
* In one of Harlequin's [[RomanceNovel Romance Novels]], the pairing are a pair of divorcees - the woman is manager at the store, which is an OldEstablishedBusiness with an [[TheRival equally old, established rival]] (the competition between the two is even referenced as being akin to that between Bloomingdale's and Macy's) while the man is (at first appearances) a guy who's one bounced check from being homeless and focused on getting revenge on his RichBitch of an ex (who also faked evidence to make him appear to be a {{Domestic Abuse}}r, effectively conning the judge into giving her full custody of their daughter). The guy is desperate for a job, but wants something seasonal - and she's desperate for a MallSanta since the one they usually hire is getting on in years. The manager is also frequently roped into babysitting the store owner's grandson - who is also the unofficial vetter for the Mall Santas that are hired. The kid is mentioned as still believing in Santa, but justifies Mall Santas as being like heralds for the real deal - which also neatly explains, to him, why not all Mall Santas are equal: some have the calling and some are just in it for the money.



* In the ''Literature/DillyTheDinosaur'' story "Dilly and the Book of Bad Behaviour", Dilly is paranoid about getting into Dino Claus (the dinosaur version of Santa)'s Book of Bad Behaviour, so they go to a mall Santa and have him explicitly tell Dilly that he's not going to be put in the book.
* ''Literature/DirtyBertie'': In the story "Elf!", Bertie's dad has to be a mall Santa while Bertie has to be a helper elf. He finds the job boring and wants to be a goblin instead.
* In one of Harlequin's [[RomanceNovel Romance Novels]], the pairing are a pair of divorcees - the woman is manager at the store, which is an OldEstablishedBusiness with an [[TheRival equally old, established rival]] (the competition between the two is even referenced as being akin to that between Bloomingdale's and Macy's) while the man is (at first appearances) a guy who's one bounced check from being homeless and focused on getting revenge on his RichBitch of an ex (who also faked evidence to make him appear to be a {{Domestic Abuse}}r, effectively conning the judge into giving her full custody of their daughter). The guy is desperate for a job, but wants something seasonal - and she's desperate for a MallSanta since the one they usually hire is getting on in years. The manager is also frequently roped into babysitting the store owner's grandson - who is also the unofficial vetter for the Mall Santas that are hired. The kid is mentioned as still believing in Santa, but justifies Mall Santas as being like heralds for the real deal - which also neatly explains, to him, why not all Mall Santas are equal: some have the calling and some are just in it for the money.
* In ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', [[TheGrimReaper Death]] (who's ''already'' standing in for the real deal), attempts to replace the Hogfather at an expensive department store. Since he already has the Hogfather's sack, he horrifies the store owner by giving away wonderful presents, thereby heavily eating into the profits. Not to mention Death's failure to perceive certain human conventions regarding appropriate gifts for children. Such as the full-size, completely real ''broadsword'' he hands to a little girl, before being hastily convinced that a fully functional weapon might not be the best idea (he just turned the blade to wood). Or a girl wants a real life pony to be in her home... in a second floor apartment. Overall, he gives children toys that they actually want, rather than what their parents consider appropriate for them. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'', feeling the barghests, Miranda asks for direction, and is sent to the mall. Where they find that the MallSanta is actually Father Christmas, who can deal easily with a pack of {{Hell Hound}}s/{{Living Shadow}}s.
* In Nathan Englander's humourous short story ''Reb Kringle'', Itzik, a devoutly Orthodox Jew, reluctantly takes this job because he and his wife need the money and he already has the requisite long white beard and big belly. Itzik takes in stride the typical annoyances of overly-greedy requests and attempts to remove his beard, but loses it when the child of an interfaith couple admits he'd rather celebrate Hanukkah.



* In ''Merry Christmas Series/MrBean'' we see Mr. Bean has a habit of annoying mall Santas by pulling their beard off. One of them unfortunately has a real beard...



* In ''Merry Christmas Series/MrBean'' we see Mr. Bean has a habit of annoying mall Santas by pulling their beard off. One of them unfortunately has a real beard...



* A random Santa Claus can be seen wondering the streets of Dobuita late in the year in ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}''. He carries a bell, greets with "Merry Christmas" and everything.



* During the [[YouMeanXMas Feast of Winter's Veil]] in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', "Greatfather Winter" can be found in Ironforge and Orgrimmar, with both versions simply being surly actors hired by the goblin cartels commercializing the holidays.
* In the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' comic "A Smissmas Story", Scout, Soldier, and Spy all end up being sentenced to community service for blowing up a mall santa training facility. Being Team Fortress, HilarityEnsues



* A random Santa Claus can be seen wondering the streets of Dobuita late in the year in ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}''. He carries a bell, greets with "Merry Christmas" and everything.
* In the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' comic "A Smissmas Story", Scout, Soldier, and Spy all end up being sentenced to community service for blowing up a mall santa training facility. Being Team Fortress, HilarityEnsues
* During the [[YouMeanXMas Feast of Winter's Veil]] in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', "Greatfather Winter" can be found in Ironforge and Orgrimmar, with both versions simply being surly actors hired by the goblin cartels commercializing the holidays.



* Brad from ''Webcomic/TheClassMenagerie'' was one, and approved of a kid's desire to have a shotgun for Christmas.
* ''Webcomic/TheEnds'' has the crazy priest preaching from a mall Santa's chair.



* Psycho Mantis attempted to get a job as one in ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFOXHOUND''. 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.
* ''Webcomic/{{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 occasions he loses the argument.



* ''Webcomic/{{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 occasions he loses the argument.
* ''Webcomic/TheEnds'' has the crazy priest preaching from a mall Santa's chair.
* Psycho Mantis attempted to get a job as one in ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFOXHOUND''. 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.



* Brad from ''Webcomic/TheClassMenagerie'' was one, and approved of a kid's desire to have a shotgun for Christmas.




* Tariq dresses up like this to earn some cash in the ''WebVideo/KateModern'' episode "Grabbed By The Bells". "You think your life is a mess? I'm a 24-year-old Muslim man dressed as Santa!"
* A woman had to pose as Santa. [[http://ponderous.0catch.com/holiday3.htm Ponderous Woman]]

to:

\n* Tariq dresses up like this to earn some cash An ''Webcomic/AsteroidQuest'' Christmas Special side-story has [[StealthExpert Polo]] and [[OneManArmy Rokoa]] in a BuddyCopShow, currently looking for an important witness in a mall. When he's spotted in Santa's chair, Polo is extremely displeased, because it means that the ''WebVideo/KateModern'' episode "Grabbed By The Bells". "You think only way she can talk to the witness without attracting suspicion from nearby crooks will be through making use of her diminutive stature to approach him a a kid.
* One video created by ''Website/{{Buzzfeed}}'' is titled "Things Santa Does That Would be Creepy if You Did Them", and one of them is having strangers sit on
your life is a mess? I'm a 24-year-old Muslim man dressed as Santa!"
* A woman had
lap to pose as Santa. [[http://ponderous.0catch.com/holiday3.htm Ponderous Woman]]negotiate.



* Creator/ImprovEverywhere has the "Mall Santa Musical" song about adults' desire to sit on a mall Santa's lap.
* In ''WebVideo/JackValeFilms'', one of Jack's "Nonsense" pranks takes place at a mall around Christmas, and a mall Santa joins in when Jack starts babbling about things not working.
* Tariq dresses up like this to earn some cash in the ''WebVideo/KateModern'' episode "Grabbed By The Bells". "You think your life is a mess? I'm a 24-year-old Muslim man dressed as Santa!"



* A woman had to pose as Santa. [[http://ponderous.0catch.com/holiday3.htm Ponderous Woman]]



* Creator/ImprovEverywhere has the "Mall Santa Musical" song about adults' desire to sit on a mall Santa's lap.
* An ''Webcomic/AsteroidQuest'' Christmas Special side-story has [[StealthExpert Polo]] and [[OneManArmy Rokoa]] in a BuddyCopShow, currently looking for an important witness in a mall. When he's spotted in Santa's chair, Polo is extremely displeased, because it means that the only way she can talk to the witness without attracting suspicion from nearby crooks will be through making use of her diminutive stature to approach him a a kid.



* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
** In the pilot episode, Homer becomes one in order to get the money to buy his family their Christmas presents. Bart finds out it's him when Milhouse dares him to rip off his beard.
** The much later episode "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" featured the title Jack Lemmon figure giving Lisa her wish in his guise as Santa, getting fired over it, and spending the next year sponging off the Simpsons. After the year has passed, [[NotAllowedToGrowUp Bart is still a ten-year-old fourth grader and Lisa is still eight and in the second grade]].

to:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
**
In the pilot episode, Homer ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog Sonic Christmas Blast]]'', when Dr. Robotnik takes over Santa’s job as "Robotnik Claus", he becomes one in order of these. Instead of asking children what they want to get for Christmas, he asks them what they want to give him. One little boy does not take this well and calls him out on this, which leads to Robotnik ordering Grounder to take the money little boy to buy his family their Christmas presents. Bart finds out it's him when Milhouse dares him to rip off his beard.
** The much later episode "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" featured the title Jack Lemmon figure giving Lisa her wish in his guise as Santa, getting fired over it, and spending the next year sponging off the Simpsons. After the year has passed, [[NotAllowedToGrowUp Bart is still a ten-year-old fourth grader and Lisa is still eight and in the second grade]].
dungeon.



* In ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget Saves Christmas'', Chief Quimby is disguised as a Mall Santa in one of the series' more memorable extended gags.

to:

* In ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget Saves Christmas'', Chief Quimby {{WesternAnimation/Beetlejuice}}, the episode "Keeping Up With the Boneses" sees Beetlejuice forced to work off his credit card debt by becoming a badly-costumed Mall Santa (a pillow he's using as stuffing is disguised as visible), with Lydia playing his elf. Beetlejuice, of course, is less than happy about all of this.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode, "Nice-Capades", the Belcher kids harass a man out of a store's massage chair, only to learn that he was
a Mall Santa in one of on his break. Worried that he'll tell the series' more memorable extended gags.real Santa about their bad behavior, Louise schemes with her siblings to put on an ice show to show just how nice they were all year.



* In "WesternAnimation/DanVs the Mall Santa", Dan is actually an elf. However, a [[YesVirginia matter of opinion]] (plus the fact that the Mall Santa is a Jerkass) causes him and the faux Santa to bicker. In the end, however, [[spoiler:Dan ends up getting him fired for beating him up, and takes his place as the Mall Santa.]]



* [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} Dr Rockzo, the Rock & Roll Clown who does Cocaine,]] got a job as a MallSanta after he was given a GetOutofJailFreeCard. [[ManChild Toki,]] who apparently believes in Santa Claus, ran into him.
** "Thats don'ts makes sense!"
* Skarr from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''. He nearly kills Billy, but no one intervenes (except the elves) until his beard comes off. Then, everyone beats him up for not being Santa. They also start a riot and burn the mall to the ground.



* The main six in ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' meet a mall Santa in the ChristmasEpisode. Though out of frustration, he rips his beard off and asks his assistant if they can get the next mall Santa to cover.
* In "WesternAnimation/DanVs the Mall Santa", Dan is actually an elf. However, a [[YesVirginia matter of opinion]] (plus the fact that the Mall Santa is a Jerkass) causes him and the faux Santa to bicker. In the end, however, [[spoiler:Dan ends up getting him fired for beating him up, and takes his place as the Mall Santa.]]

to:

* The main six in ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' meet a mall Santa in Skarr from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''. He nearly kills Billy, but no one intervenes (except the ChristmasEpisode. Though out of frustration, he rips elves) until his beard off comes off. Then, everyone beats him up for not being Santa. They also start a riot and asks his assistant if they can get burn the next mall Santa to cover.
the ground.
* In "WesternAnimation/DanVs the Mall Santa", Dan ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget Saves Christmas'', Chief Quimby is actually an elf. However, disguised as a [[YesVirginia matter of opinion]] (plus the fact that the Mall Santa is a Jerkass) causes him and in one of the faux Santa to bicker. In the end, however, [[spoiler:Dan ends up getting him fired for beating him up, and takes his place as the Mall Santa.]]series' more memorable extended gags.



* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode, "[[Recap/RugratsS2E14TheSantaExperience The Santa Experience]]", Angelica cuts in line to see the Mall Santa, and after she tells him the large amount of presents she wants, he tells her he isn't sure he can get them for her. Angelica then rips off his beard and runs through the mall, screaming, "Santa Claus is a fake! Run for your lives!"
* In {{WesternAnimation/Beetlejuice}}, the episode "Keeping Up With the Boneses" sees Beetlejuice forced to work off his credit card debt by becoming a badly-costumed Mall Santa (a pillow he's using as stuffing is visible), with Lydia playing his elf. Beetlejuice, of course, is less than happy about all of this.

to:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': In "The Whole Picture", one of Lincoln's photos he tries to recreate with Clyde is him sitting on a mall Santa's lap.
* [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} Dr Rockzo,
the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode, "[[Recap/RugratsS2E14TheSantaExperience The Rock & Roll Clown who does Cocaine,]] got a job as a MallSanta after he was given a GetOutofJailFreeCard. [[ManChild Toki,]] who apparently believes in Santa Experience]]", Angelica cuts in line to see the Mall Santa, and after she tells him the large amount of presents she wants, he tells her he isn't sure he can get them for her. Angelica then rips off his beard and runs through the mall, screaming, "Santa Claus is a fake! Run for your lives!"
* In {{WesternAnimation/Beetlejuice}}, the episode "Keeping Up With the Boneses" sees Beetlejuice forced to work off his credit card debt by becoming a badly-costumed Mall Santa (a pillow he's using as stuffing is visible), with Lydia playing his elf. Beetlejuice, of course, is less than happy about all of this.
Claus, ran into him.
** "Thats don'ts makes sense!"



* The main six in ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' meet a mall Santa in the ChristmasEpisode. Though out of frustration, he rips his beard off and asks his assistant if they can get the next mall Santa to cover.



* In ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog Sonic Christmas Blast]]'', when Dr. Robotnik takes over Santa’s job as "Robotnik Claus", he becomes one of these. Instead of asking children what they want to get for Christmas, he asks them what they want to give him. One little boy does not take this well and calls him out on this, which leads to Robotnik ordering Grounder to take the little boy to his dungeon.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode, "Nice-Capades", the Belcher kids harass a man out of a store's massage chair, only to learn that he was a Mall Santa on his break. Worried that he'll tell the real Santa about their bad behavior, Louise schemes with her siblings to put on an ice show to show just how nice they were all year.

to:

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog Sonic Christmas Blast]]'', when Dr. Robotnik takes over Santa’s job as "Robotnik Claus", the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode, "[[Recap/RugratsS2E14TheSantaExperience The Santa Experience]]", Angelica cuts in line to see the Mall Santa, and after she tells him the large amount of presents she wants, he tells her he isn't sure he can get them for her. Angelica then rips off his beard and runs through the mall, screaming, "Santa Claus is a fake! Run for your lives!"
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
** In the pilot episode, Homer
becomes one of these. Instead of asking children what they want in order to get for Christmas, he asks them what they want to give him. One little boy does not take this well and calls him out on this, which leads to Robotnik ordering Grounder to take the little boy money to buy his dungeon.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode, "Nice-Capades", the Belcher kids harass a man out of a store's massage chair, only to learn that he was a Mall Santa on his break. Worried that he'll tell the real Santa about
family their bad behavior, Louise schemes with Christmas presents. Bart finds out it's him when Milhouse dares him to rip off his beard.
** The much later episode "Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2" featured the title Jack Lemmon figure giving Lisa
her siblings to put on an ice show to show just how nice they were all year.wish in his guise as Santa, getting fired over it, and spending the next year sponging off the Simpsons. After the year has passed, [[NotAllowedToGrowUp Bart is still a ten-year-old fourth grader and Lisa is still eight and in the second grade]].
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* In ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'', [[TheGrimReaper Death]] (who's ''already'' standing in for the real deal), attempts to replace the Hogfather at an expensive department store. Since he already has the Hogfather's sack, he horrifies the store owner by giving away wonderful presents, thereby heavily eating into the profits. Not to mention Death's failure to perceive certain human conventions regarding appropriate gifts for children. Such as the full-size, completely real ''broadsword'' he hands to a little girl, before being hastily convinced that a fully functional weapon might not be the best idea (he just turned the blade to wood). Or a girl wants a real life pony to be in her home... in a second floor apartment. Overall, he gives children toys that they actually want, rather than what their parents consider appropriate for them. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not.

to:

* In ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'', ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', [[TheGrimReaper Death]] (who's ''already'' standing in for the real deal), attempts to replace the Hogfather at an expensive department store. Since he already has the Hogfather's sack, he horrifies the store owner by giving away wonderful presents, thereby heavily eating into the profits. Not to mention Death's failure to perceive certain human conventions regarding appropriate gifts for children. Such as the full-size, completely real ''broadsword'' he hands to a little girl, before being hastily convinced that a fully functional weapon might not be the best idea (he just turned the blade to wood). Or a girl wants a real life pony to be in her home... in a second floor apartment. Overall, he gives children toys that they actually want, rather than what their parents consider appropriate for them. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Black Best Friend has been renamed to Token Black Friend, it's unclear whether this is actually an example of that trope.


** Al got a job as a MallSanta in two other episodes -- one on season seven and again near the end of the series' run after two young men replace Al and his BlackBestFriend Griff at the shoe store.

to:

** Al got a job as a MallSanta in two other episodes -- one on season seven and again near the end of the series' run after two young men replace Al and his BlackBestFriend Griff at the shoe store.

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links, example indentation


* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Hogfather'', Death (who's ''already'' standing in for the real deal), attempts to replace the Hogfather at an expensive department store. Since he already has the Hogfather's sack, he horrifies the store owner by giving away wonderful presents, thereby heavily eating into the profits.
** Not to mention Death's failure to perceive certain human conventions regarding appropriate gifts for children. Such as the full-size, completely real ''broadsword'' he hands to a little girl, before being hastily convinced that a fully functional weapon might not be the best idea (he just turned the blade to wood). Or a girl wants a real life pony to be in her home... in a second floor apartment. Overall, he gives children toys that they actually want, rather than what their parents consider appropriate for them. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not.

to:

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Hogfather'', Death ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'', [[TheGrimReaper Death]] (who's ''already'' standing in for the real deal), attempts to replace the Hogfather at an expensive department store. Since he already has the Hogfather's sack, he horrifies the store owner by giving away wonderful presents, thereby heavily eating into the profits.
**
profits. Not to mention Death's failure to perceive certain human conventions regarding appropriate gifts for children. Such as the full-size, completely real ''broadsword'' he hands to a little girl, before being hastily convinced that a fully functional weapon might not be the best idea (he just turned the blade to wood). Or a girl wants a real life pony to be in her home... in a second floor apartment. Overall, he gives children toys that they actually want, rather than what their parents consider appropriate for them. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Video in link was blocked by a copyright claim.


* [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Stewie Griffin]] once got the short end of the stick with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SR4e5nBoI an Asian Santa.]]

to:

* [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Stewie Griffin]] once got the short end of the stick with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SR4e5nBoI com/watch?v=drI3hIeczyQ an Asian Santa.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* An ''Roleplay/AsteroidQuest'' Christmas Special side-story has [[StealthExpert Polo]] and [[OneManArmy Rokoa]] in a BuddyCopShow, currently looking for an important witness in a mall. When he's spotted in Santa's chair, Polo is extremely displeased, because it means that the only way she can talk to the witness without attracting suspicion from nearby crooks will be through making use of her diminutive stature to approach him a a kid.

to:

* An ''Roleplay/AsteroidQuest'' ''Webcomic/AsteroidQuest'' Christmas Special side-story has [[StealthExpert Polo]] and [[OneManArmy Rokoa]] in a BuddyCopShow, currently looking for an important witness in a mall. When he's spotted in Santa's chair, Polo is extremely displeased, because it means that the only way she can talk to the witness without attracting suspicion from nearby crooks will be through making use of her diminutive stature to approach him a a kid.

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* A commercial for Cingular Wireless which is a parody of ''Film/AChristmasStory'' has a reference to the Santa scene in that film where the boy in pursuit of a cell phone sees him at the store and gets the boot when he says "You'll run the bill up!"



* In ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are his two elves.

to:

* In ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are his two elves. He becomes just the latest character to mention to Ralphie that "You'll shoot your eye out!" right before he boots him down the slide.
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None


* In ''Film/FredClaus'' Fred gets harassed by several mall Santas for working on the street with no permit. They give chase of him through the streets and into a shopping mall where Fred eventually takes the out with toys.
* In ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are hos two elves.

to:

* In ''Film/FredClaus'' Fred gets harassed by several mall Santas for working on the street with no permit. They give chase of him through the streets and into a shopping mall where Fred eventually takes the them out with toys.
* In ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are hos his two elves.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* In ''Film/AChristmaStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are hos two elves.

to:

* In ''Film/AChristmaStory'' ''Film/AChristmasStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are hos two elves.



* In ''Merry Christmas ''Series/MrBean'' we see Mr. Bean has a habit of annoying mall Santas by pulling their beard off. One of them unfortunately has a real beard...

to:

* In ''Merry Christmas ''Series/MrBean'' Series/MrBean'' we see Mr. Bean has a habit of annoying mall Santas by pulling their beard off. One of them unfortunately has a real beard...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

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* In ''Film/FredClaus'' Fred gets harassed by several mall Santas for working on the street with no permit. They give chase of him through the streets and into a shopping mall where Fred eventually takes the out with toys.
* In ''Film/AChristmaStory'' Ralphie goes to the Department Store to ask Santa for his Red Ryder BB Gun. This Santa is a particularly nasty, arrogant, and impatient one as are hos two elves.


Added DiffLines:

* In ''Merry Christmas ''Series/MrBean'' we see Mr. Bean has a habit of annoying mall Santas by pulling their beard off. One of them unfortunately has a real beard...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


->'''Michelle Davies''': "If you're Santa Claus, why are there so many Santa Clauses at other malls?"

-->-- ''Series/FamilyTies'', [[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus "Miracle in Columbus]]".

to:

->'''Michelle Davies''': "If ->''"If you're Santa Claus, why are there so many Santa Clauses at other malls?"

malls?"''
-->-- '''Michelle Davies''', ''Series/FamilyTies'', [[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus "Miracle in Columbus]]". Columbus]]"

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Alphabetized TV section


* ''Series/TheWonderYears'': The fourth-season episode "A Very Cutlip Christmas" sees Kevin go to the mall (to buy Winnie a present) and he recognizes his nemesis, Coach Edward Cutlip, as Santa Claus. Instead of his overbearing, bullying behavior shown in class, Cutlip is shown to be very tender and kind to little children, a point he makes to Kevin when the two visit about their encounter. Kevin sees Coach in a new light and is rewarded with kinder treatment, but it doesn't last. Still, Kevin gets some new insights about Coach: the man he is at school (a pushy, overbearing teacher who tries too hard to get the most out of his students) and the man he is outside the classroom (a deeply insecure man who loves children and truly sees working with youths as his passion).
* Harry from ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' was a helper for a mall santa, and mentioned that children over 16 years of age should not sit on Santa's lap. He was also horrified when he saw the mall santa remove his costume, as Harry had believed he was really Santa.

to:

* ''Series/TheWonderYears'': ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls'': The fourth-season episode "A Very Cutlip Christmas" sees Kevin go to the mall (to buy Winnie a present) and he recognizes his nemesis, Coach Edward Cutlip, as Santa Claus. Instead of his overbearing, bullying behavior shown in class, Cutlip is shown to be very tender and kind to little children, a point he makes to Kevin when the two visit about their encounter. Kevin sees Coach in a new light and is rewarded with kinder treatment, but it doesn't last. Still, Kevin gets some new insights about Coach: the man he is at school (a pushy, overbearing teacher who tries too hard to girls get the most out of his students) and the man he is outside the classroom (a deeply insecure man who loves children and truly sees working with youths jobs as his passion).
* Harry from ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' was a helper for a mall santa, and mentioned that children over 16 years of age should not sit on
Santa's lap. He was also horrified when he saw Helpers during Christmas in order to make a few extra bucks.
* ''Series/AccordingToJim.'' Jim gets into a minor car accident at Christmas time. The other guy gives him fake information. Later, Jim recognizes him as
the mall santa remove his costume, as Harry had believed he was really Santa.Santa. HilarityEnsues.



* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren.''
** Considering that many of the kids' parents were neighbors Al didn't like, he told one kid to tell daddy to stay home when the mailman comes over. He tells a girl who wants a pony that he'll leave one under the tree, but if it's not there by morning, her mother chased it away and killed it...
** Al got a job as a MallSanta in two other episodes -- one on season seven and again near the end of the series' run after two young men replace Al and his BlackBestFriend Griff at the shoe store.
* ''Series/AccordingToJim.'' Jim gets into a minor car accident at Christmas time. The other guy gives him fake information. Later, Jim recognizes him as the mall Santa. HilarityEnsues.
* ''Series/NipTuck'', where a drunken Sean dons the Santa outfit.
* ''Series/{{Monk}}'', in the episode "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa": Monk and Natalie go undercover at a shopping mall trying to locate the person Stottlemeyer suspects tried to kill him. To do so, this involves Monk being disguised as a Mall Santa, with Natalie wearing a wig to pose as his elf. Although the humor revolved around Monk's obsessive compulsive disorder and having to be up close to children.
* In the first ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/{{Jessie}}'', Ravi petrifies Santa Claus after being told about him from Zuri and freaks out when he sees a Santa in the mall.
* Kramer in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''.
* On ''Series/ShakeItUp'', [=CeCe=] gets a job in the mall as Santa's Helper after wasting the money for her mother's Christmas present.
* ''Series/KenanAndKel'' had Kenan playing the Mall Santa to earn the last bit of money he needs to buy a mountain bike he'd been saving up for. However, after his money he decides use it to buy gifts for two of the kids he met whose mother couldn't afford them. The real Santa rewards Kenan for his generosity by delivering the bike under his family's tree.
* ''Series/ThirdWatch'''s Season 5 episode "The Spirit" had grumpy policeman Sully playing Santa at a toy store.

to:

* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren.''
** Considering that many of the kids' parents were neighbors Al didn't like, he told one kid to tell daddy to stay home when the mailman comes over. He tells a girl who wants a pony that he'll leave one under the tree, but if it's not there by morning, her mother chased it away and killed it...
** Al got a job as a MallSanta in two other episodes -- one on season seven and again near the end of the series' run after two young men replace Al and his BlackBestFriend Griff at the shoe store.
* ''Series/AccordingToJim.'' Jim gets into a minor car accident at Christmas time. The other guy gives him fake information. Later, Jim recognizes him as the mall Santa. HilarityEnsues.
* ''Series/NipTuck'', where a drunken Sean dons the Santa outfit.
* ''Series/{{Monk}}'', in the
On ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', an episode "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa": Monk and Natalie go undercover at a shopping mall trying to locate the person Stottlemeyer suspects tried to kill him. To do so, this involves Monk being disguised as a Mall Santa, dealt with Natalie wearing a wig to pose as his elf. Although the humor revolved around Monk's obsessive compulsive disorder and having store employees' competition to be up close to children.
* In
''be'' the first ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/{{Jessie}}'', Ravi petrifies Santa Claus after being told about him from Zuri and freaks out when he sees a Santa in the mall.
* Kramer in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''.
* On ''Series/ShakeItUp'', [=CeCe=] gets a job in the mall as Santa's Helper after wasting the money for her mother's Christmas present.
* ''Series/KenanAndKel'' had Kenan playing the Mall Santa to earn the last bit of money he needs to buy a mountain bike he'd been saving up for. However, after his money he decides use it to buy gifts for two of the kids he met whose mother couldn't afford them. The real Santa rewards Kenan for his generosity by delivering the bike under his family's tree.
* ''Series/ThirdWatch'''s Season 5 episode "The Spirit" had grumpy policeman Sully playing Santa at a toy store.
MallSanta.



* Thelma Harper takes on the job in the ''Series/MamasFamily'' episode "Santa Mama", to fill in for her son Vinton, who lost his voice practicing his "Ho Ho Ho".

to:

* Thelma Harper takes on ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' had a rare aversion of the job in trope, a kind man who was very patient with the ''Series/MamasFamily'' children, even one who asked for a huge list of things and clearly had Santa bewildered. The problem was when Cindy came to him with a selfless but impossible wish he didn't have it in him to it might not happen. (Thankfully, this being the Brady-verse, it did.)
* In the ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' Christmas [[TheMovie movie]], Drake plays Santa, while his brother Josh plays Santa's sack (of toys). Drake ends up making a promise to a little girl that the two of them spend the rest of the movie keeping.
* ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'', Julius plays Santa at the mall for extra money. When the children tell him what they want for Christmas, he makes them cry by telling them how expensive the toys/gifts are, how long their parents will have to work for it, and how they might not get what they want.
* Joey dresses as Santa's Elf in a season one
episode "Santa Mama", to fill in for her son Vinton, of ''Series/{{Friends}}''.
* The cast of ''Series/{{Glee}}'' encounter a rather JerkAss mall Santa,
who lost his voice practicing his "Ho Ho Ho".promises dim Brittany that he will cure Artie's paralysis.



* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''
** An early fake commercial for "Santi-Wrap," a plastic sheet similar to disposable toilet seat covers, featured John Belushi as a slovenly, drunken mall Santa, thereby illustrating why such a product is necessary.
** A later ''SNL'' featured Master Thespian taking the job of mall Santa, seemingly without doing the research and winging it - even working in a hammy death scene.
** Then there was the Sally Field/Tony, Toni, Tone episode where Chris Farley's motivational speaker character Matt Foley plays a Mall Santa.
* In the ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' Christmas [[TheMovie movie]], Drake plays Santa, while his brother Josh plays Santa's sack (of toys). Drake ends up making a promise to a little girl that the two of them spend the rest of the movie keeping.
* There was an episode of ''Series/That70sShow'' where Red worked as a Mall Santa:
-->'''Little Girl''': "I want a pony!"
-->'''Red''': "Ponies die."
* In the ''Series/NaturallySadie'' episode "A Very Sadie Christmas", Hal gets a job as a mall Santa and uses it as an opportunity to scam free stuff, demanding bribes from kids in exchange for promising to grant their Christmas wishes.
* ''Series/SoulMan'' featured a mall Santa, also. With Rev. Weber's son having a technicolour yawn all over Santa's beard on both years he went to see him.
* A ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' Christmas episode, "Night of the Meek", stars Art Carney as an alcoholic department store Santa who despairs over not being able to help the poor people in his slum neighborhood - [[spoiler: but in the spirit of the show, he finds a sack that magically produces presents on demand... then at shows' end he gets his own wish and becomes Santa for real.]] This episode also showed up in the [[Series/TheTwilightZone1985 1985 revival series]], with [[Series/{{Soap}} Richard Mulligan]] in Art Carney's role and [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 William Atherton]] as the department store boss.
* ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'', Julius plays Santa at the mall for extra money. When the children tell him what they want for Christmas, he makes them cry by telling them how expensive the toys/gifts are, how long their parents will have to work for it, and how they might not get what they want.
* ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' convinces her boss to let her play Santa ''herself,'' and the kids fall for it even though she doesn't remotely sound like a man. Jackie plays Mrs. Claus...as a drill sergeant photographer.
* The ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' Christmas episode, "Season's Greedings" had Arturo become a mall Santa with Wade and Rembrandt as his elves.
* On ''Series/AreYouBeingServed?'', an episode dealt with the store employees' competition to ''be'' the MallSanta.
* The cast of ''Series/{{Glee}}'' encounter a rather JerkAss mall Santa, who promises dim Brittany that he will cure Artie's paralysis.
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': A mall Santa comes to the team for help because he was fired and the new mall Santas all seem to be criminals. Elliot ends up playing Santa for a while and is terrible at it, but Parker seems to enjoy her role as a ChristmasElf.



* Joey dresses as Santa's Elf in a season one episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}''.
* In the ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/RoundTheTwist'', CoolOldLady Nell becomes a MallSanta. It leads to her being attacked by the ''real'' Santa.
* ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls'': The two girls get jobs as Santa's Helpers during Christmas in order to make a few extra bucks.
* ''Series/MurphyBrown'': Murphy uses her IntrepidReporter skills to find the absolute '''best''' Mall Santa in the DC area for her son's first Christmas photo. Then when she gets there, it's his day off.
* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' had a rare aversion of the trope, a kind man who was very patient with the children, even one who asked for a huge list of things and clearly had Santa bewildered. The problem was when Cindy came to him with a selfless but impossible wish he didn't have it in him to it might not happen. (Thankfully, this being the Brady-verse, it did.)
* In the first ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/MyTwoDads'', both Judge Margaret and the coffee shop owner take turns playing Santa. He gives all the kids footballs (being an ex-player himself), and she gives all of them books.
* A few have been featured on ''Series/WorldsDumbest''. They tend to be very drunk.

to:

* Joey dresses as Santa's Elf in a season one episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}''.
* In the ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/RoundTheTwist'', CoolOldLady Nell becomes a MallSanta. It leads to her being attacked by the ''real'' Santa.
* ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls'': The two girls get jobs as Santa's Helpers during Christmas in order to make a few extra bucks.
* ''Series/MurphyBrown'': Murphy uses her IntrepidReporter skills to find the absolute '''best''' Mall Santa in the DC area for her son's first Christmas photo. Then when she gets there, it's his day off.
* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' had a rare aversion of the trope, a kind man who was very patient with the children, even one who asked for a huge list of things and clearly had Santa bewildered. The problem was when Cindy came to him with a selfless but impossible wish he didn't have it in him to it might not happen. (Thankfully, this being the Brady-verse, it did.)
* In the first ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/MyTwoDads'', both Judge Margaret ''Series/{{Jessie}}'', Ravi petrifies Santa Claus after being told about him from Zuri and freaks out when he sees a Santa in the coffee shop owner take turns mall.
* ''Series/KenanAndKel'' had Kenan
playing Santa. He gives all the Mall Santa to earn the last bit of money he needs to buy a mountain bike he'd been saving up for. However, after his money he decides use it to buy gifts for two of the kids footballs (being an ex-player himself), he met whose mother couldn't afford them. The real Santa rewards Kenan for his generosity by delivering the bike under his family's tree.
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': A mall Santa comes to the team for help because he was fired
and she gives the new mall Santas all of them books.
* A few have been featured on ''Series/WorldsDumbest''. They tend
seem to be very drunk.criminals. Elliot ends up playing Santa for a while and is terrible at it, but Parker seems to enjoy her role as a ChristmasElf.


Added DiffLines:

* Thelma Harper takes on the job in the ''Series/MamasFamily'' episode "Santa Mama", to fill in for her son Vinton, who lost his voice practicing his "Ho Ho Ho".
* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren.''
** Considering that many of the kids' parents were neighbors Al didn't like, he told one kid to tell daddy to stay home when the mailman comes over. He tells a girl who wants a pony that he'll leave one under the tree, but if it's not there by morning, her mother chased it away and killed it...
** Al got a job as a MallSanta in two other episodes -- one on season seven and again near the end of the series' run after two young men replace Al and his BlackBestFriend Griff at the shoe store.
* ''Series/{{Monk}}'', in the episode "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa": Monk and Natalie go undercover at a shopping mall trying to locate the person Stottlemeyer suspects tried to kill him. To do so, this involves Monk being disguised as a Mall Santa, with Natalie wearing a wig to pose as his elf. Although the humor revolved around Monk's obsessive compulsive disorder and having to be up close to children.
* ''Series/MurphyBrown'': Murphy uses her IntrepidReporter skills to find the absolute '''best''' Mall Santa in the DC area for her son's first Christmas photo. Then when she gets there, it's his day off.
* In the first ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/MyTwoDads'', both Judge Margaret and the coffee shop owner take turns playing Santa. He gives all the kids footballs (being an ex-player himself), and she gives all of them books.
* In the ''Series/NaturallySadie'' episode "A Very Sadie Christmas", Hal gets a job as a mall Santa and uses it as an opportunity to scam free stuff, demanding bribes from kids in exchange for promising to grant their Christmas wishes.
* ''Series/NipTuck'', where a drunken Sean dons the Santa outfit.
* ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' convinces her boss to let her play Santa ''herself,'' and the kids fall for it even though she doesn't remotely sound like a man. Jackie plays Mrs. Claus...as a drill sergeant photographer.
* In the ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/RoundTheTwist'', CoolOldLady Nell becomes a MallSanta. It leads to her being attacked by the ''real'' Santa.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''
** An early fake commercial for "Santi-Wrap," a plastic sheet similar to disposable toilet seat covers, featured John Belushi as a slovenly, drunken mall Santa, thereby illustrating why such a product is necessary.
** A later ''SNL'' featured Master Thespian taking the job of mall Santa, seemingly without doing the research and winging it - even working in a hammy death scene.
** Then there was the Sally Field/Tony, Toni, Tone episode where Chris Farley's motivational speaker character Matt Foley plays a Mall Santa.
* Kramer in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''.
* On ''Series/ShakeItUp'', [=CeCe=] gets a job in the mall as Santa's Helper after wasting the money for her mother's Christmas present.
* The ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' Christmas episode, "Season's Greedings" had Arturo become a mall Santa with Wade and Rembrandt as his elves.
* ''Series/SoulMan'' featured a mall Santa, also. With Rev. Weber's son having a technicolour yawn all over Santa's beard on both years he went to see him.
* There was an episode of ''Series/That70sShow'' where Red worked as a Mall Santa:
-->'''Little Girl''': "I want a pony!"
-->'''Red''': "Ponies die."
* Harry from ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' was a helper for a mall Santa, and mentioned that children over 16 years of age should not sit on Santa's lap. He was also horrified when he saw the mall Santa remove his costume, as Harry had believed he was really Santa.
* ''Series/ThirdWatch'''s Season 5 episode "The Spirit" had grumpy policeman Sully playing Santa at a toy store.
* A ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' Christmas episode, "Night of the Meek", stars Art Carney as an alcoholic department store Santa who despairs over not being able to help the poor people in his slum neighborhood - [[spoiler: but in the spirit of the show, he finds a sack that magically produces presents on demand... then at shows' end he gets his own wish and becomes Santa for real.]] This episode also showed up in the [[Series/TheTwilightZone1985 1985 revival series]], with [[Series/{{Soap}} Richard Mulligan]] in Art Carney's role and [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 William Atherton]] as the department store boss.


Added DiffLines:

* ''Series/TheWonderYears'': The fourth-season episode "A Very Cutlip Christmas" sees Kevin go to the mall (to buy Winnie a present) and he recognizes his nemesis, Coach Edward Cutlip, as Santa Claus. Instead of his overbearing, bullying behavior shown in class, Cutlip is shown to be very tender and kind to little children, a point he makes to Kevin when the two visit about their encounter. Kevin sees Coach in a new light and is rewarded with kinder treatment, but it doesn't last. Still, Kevin gets some new insights about Coach: the man he is at school (a pushy, overbearing teacher who tries too hard to get the most out of his students) and the man he is outside the classroom (a deeply insecure man who loves children and truly sees working with youths as his passion).
* A few have been featured on ''Series/WorldsDumbest''. They tend to be very drunk.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The holiday episode of ''Series/WelcomeFreshman'' has Walter going to visit a mall Santa (despite being in high school). When Santa gets Walter to confess to a few transgressions, he realizes that "Santa" is actually his father doing a little moonlighting.

to:

* The holiday episode of ''Series/WelcomeFreshman'' ''Series/WelcomeFreshmen'' has Walter going to visit a mall Santa (despite being in high school). When Santa gets Walter to confess to a few transgressions, he realizes that "Santa" is actually his father doing a little moonlighting.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* The holiday episode of ''Series/WelcomeFreshman'' has Walter going to visit a mall Santa (despite being in high school). When Santa gets Walter to confess to a few transgressions, he realizes that "Santa" is actually his father doing a little moonlighting.
-->'''Walter:''' Gee... Santa did seem a little fatter this year.

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Fixing the image


[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mallsanta_9838.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: The most wonderful time of the year.]]



[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mallsanta_9838.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: The most wonderful time of the year.]]
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None

Added DiffLines:

* {{Parodied}} in ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' when Rat and Pig [[ItMakesSenseInContext accidentally end up with the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh]] and take him to the mall dressed as Santa.
--> '''Rat:''' Go ahead, kid...tell Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh what you want for next Christmas.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* In ''Film/Shazam2019'', there's a recurring extra of a Mall Santa who keeps getting caught in the middle of the fights between Shazam and Dr. Sivana. In the aftermath of the final battle, he ends up hijacking a news report and letting out a ClusterBleepBomb.
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How To Write An Example - Do Not Pothole the Trope Name


* In one of Harlequin's [[RomanceNovel Romance Novels]], the pairing are a pair of divorcees - the woman is manager at the store, which is an OldEstablishedBusiness with an [[TheRival equally old, established rival]] (the competition between the two is even referenced as being akin to that between Bloomingdale's and Macy's) while the man is (at first appearances) a guy who's one bounced check from being homeless and focused on getting revenge on his RichBitch of an ex (who also faked evidence to make him appear to be a DomesticAbuser, effectively conning the judge into giving her full custody of their daughter). The guy is desperate for a job, but wants something seasonal - and she's desperate for a MallSanta since the one they usually hire is getting on in years. The manager is also frequently roped into babysitting the store owner's grandson - who is also the unofficial vetter for the Mall Santas that are hired. The kid is mentioned as still believing in Santa, but justifies Mall Santas as being like heralds for the real deal - which also neatly explains, to him, why not all Mall Santas are equal: some have the calling and some are just in it for the money.

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* In one of Harlequin's [[RomanceNovel Romance Novels]], the pairing are a pair of divorcees - the woman is manager at the store, which is an OldEstablishedBusiness with an [[TheRival equally old, established rival]] (the competition between the two is even referenced as being akin to that between Bloomingdale's and Macy's) while the man is (at first appearances) a guy who's one bounced check from being homeless and focused on getting revenge on his RichBitch of an ex (who also faked evidence to make him appear to be a DomesticAbuser, {{Domestic Abuse}}r, effectively conning the judge into giving her full custody of their daughter). The guy is desperate for a job, but wants something seasonal - and she's desperate for a MallSanta since the one they usually hire is getting on in years. The manager is also frequently roped into babysitting the store owner's grandson - who is also the unofficial vetter for the Mall Santas that are hired. The kid is mentioned as still believing in Santa, but justifies Mall Santas as being like heralds for the real deal - which also neatly explains, to him, why not all Mall Santas are equal: some have the calling and some are just in it for the money.
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* ''{{Peanuts}}''

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* ''{{Peanuts}}''''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'':
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* In an early ''Series/{{MadTV}}'' ChristmasEpisode, Creator/NicoleSullivan's Vancome Lady character serves as a gatekeeper to one of these. She turns away one kid for being fat, another for being homeless (she isn't), and another for being Jewish, all with her trademark phrase "Tcha, you know what? Uh uh!" She is, of course, fired, but as a parting shot reveals a bit of the mall Santa's indiscretions with her and then tearing off his fake beard.

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* In an early ''Series/{{MadTV}}'' ChristmasEpisode, Creator/NicoleSullivan's Vancome Lady character serves as a gatekeeper to one of these. She turns away one kid for being fat, another for being homeless (she isn't), and another for being Jewish, all with her trademark phrase "Tcha, you know what? Uh uh!" She is, of course, fired, but as a parting shot reveals a bit of the mall Santa's indiscretions with her and then tearing tears off his fake beard.
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* In an early ''Series/{{MadTV}}'' ChristmasEpisode, Creator/NicoleSullivan's Vancome Lady character serves as a gatekeeper to one of these. She turns away one kid for being fat, another for being homeless (she isn't), and another for being Jewish. She is, of course, fired, but as a parting shot reveals a bit of the mall Santa's indiscretions with her and then tearing off his fake beard.

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* In an early ''Series/{{MadTV}}'' ChristmasEpisode, Creator/NicoleSullivan's Vancome Lady character serves as a gatekeeper to one of these. She turns away one kid for being fat, another for being homeless (she isn't), and another for being Jewish. Jewish, all with her trademark phrase "Tcha, you know what? Uh uh!" She is, of course, fired, but as a parting shot reveals a bit of the mall Santa's indiscretions with her and then tearing off his fake beard.
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Added DiffLines:

* In an early ''Series/{{MadTV}}'' ChristmasEpisode, Creator/NicoleSullivan's Vancome Lady character serves as a gatekeeper to one of these. She turns away one kid for being fat, another for being homeless (she isn't), and another for being Jewish. She is, of course, fired, but as a parting shot reveals a bit of the mall Santa's indiscretions with her and then tearing off his fake beard.
-->'''Vancome Lady''': There is no Santa! Oh, Merry Christmas!
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* ''Film/FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh'' has in its brief mention of Christmas a Mall Santa dealing with a wet lap from a child peeing in his pants.
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* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode, "Nice-capades", the Belcher kids harass a man out of a store's massage chair, only to learn that he was a Mall Santa on his break. Worried that he'll tell the real Santa about their bad behavior, Louise schemes with her siblings to put on an ice show to show just how nice they were all year.

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* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode, "Nice-capades", "Nice-Capades", the Belcher kids harass a man out of a store's massage chair, only to learn that he was a Mall Santa on his break. Worried that he'll tell the real Santa about their bad behavior, Louise schemes with her siblings to put on an ice show to show just how nice they were all year.
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Added DiffLines:

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode, "Nice-capades", the Belcher kids harass a man out of a store's massage chair, only to learn that he was a Mall Santa on his break. Worried that he'll tell the real Santa about their bad behavior, Louise schemes with her siblings to put on an ice show to show just how nice they were all year.
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How To Write An Example - Don't Write Reviews


* A ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' Christmas episode, "Night of the Meek", stars Art Carney as an alcoholic department store Santa who despairs over not being able to help the poor people in his slum neighborhood - [[spoiler: but in the spirit of the show, he finds a sack that magically produces presents on demand... then at shows' end he gets his own wish and [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming becomes Santa for real.]]]] This episode also showed up in the [[Series/TheTwilightZone1985 1985 revival series]], with [[Series/{{Soap}} Richard Mulligan]] in Art Carney's role and [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 William Atherton]] as the department store boss.

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* A ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' Christmas episode, "Night of the Meek", stars Art Carney as an alcoholic department store Santa who despairs over not being able to help the poor people in his slum neighborhood - [[spoiler: but in the spirit of the show, he finds a sack that magically produces presents on demand... then at shows' end he gets his own wish and [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming becomes Santa for real.]]]] ]] This episode also showed up in the [[Series/TheTwilightZone1985 1985 revival series]], with [[Series/{{Soap}} Richard Mulligan]] in Art Carney's role and [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 William Atherton]] as the department store boss.
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* In ''InspectorGadget Saves Christmas'', Chief Quimby is disguised as a Mall Santa in one of the series' more memorable extended gags.

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* In ''InspectorGadget ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget Saves Christmas'', Chief Quimby is disguised as a Mall Santa in one of the series' more memorable extended gags.
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-->-- ''Series/FamilyTies'', "[[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus "Miracle in Columbus]]".

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-->-- ''Series/FamilyTies'', "[[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus [[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus "Miracle in Columbus]]".

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"If you're Santa Claus, why are there so many Santa Clauses at other malls?"

-- Michelle Davies to Alex P. Keaton's mall Santa, ''Series/FamilyTies

[[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus Miracle in Columbus]]''.

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->'''Michelle Davies''': "If you're Santa Claus, why are there so many Santa Clauses at other malls?"

-- Michelle Davies to Alex P. Keaton's mall Santa, ''Series/FamilyTies

[[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus Miracle
-->-- ''Series/FamilyTies'', "[[Recap/FamilyTiesS6E17MiracleInColumbus "Miracle in Columbus]]''.Columbus]]".

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