History Main / MallSanta

* Coco from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', 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.

* There exists a widely-circulated online story of a Mall Santa in Wisconsin who took justice into his own hands by [[http://thuglifevideos.com/mall-santa-beats-up-child-molester/ beating the snout out of a child molester]]. It was, however, [[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mall-santa-beat-up-child-molester/ fake]].

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* 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.

* [[FanFic/UltimateSpiderWoman Mary Jane Watson]] gets a job as one of Santa's helpers in the Christmas display at Macy's Department Store. She feels more than a little silly in her ChristmasElves outfit, but she turns out to actually be pretty good at the job.

* In ''The Cat Who Went Into the Closet'', one of the books from ''TheCatWhoSeries'', the main protagonist Qwilleran, an UnclePennybags man-about-town, is drafted into being the Santa Claus of the small town of Pickaxe. He takes things fairly well, but panics when he learns that he's not done because he's still required to do lap-sitting.

* 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.

* 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.]]

* 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 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.

* On ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', an episode dealt with the store employees' competition to ''be'' the MallSanta.

** 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 Griff at the shoe store.

* In the ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/RoundTheTwist'', CoolOldLady Nell becomes a MallSanta. It leads to her being attacked by the ''real'' 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.

* One appears in Week 5 of ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'', being held at gunpoint by Mom and Dad as they have a rap battle with Boyfriend. After their songs end, the mall is ravaged and emptied off-screen and the Monster appears wearing the Santa's bloodied hat, implying that he killed him.

* In [[ChristmasEpisode Episode 38]] of ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'', this is one of these, and the episode centers around him.

* One appears in Week 5 of ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'', being held at gunpoint by the Mom and Dad as they have a rap battle with the Boyfriend. After their songs end, the mall is ravaged and emptied off-screen and the Monster appears wearing the Santa's bloodied hat, implying that he killed him.

* 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.]]

* ''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.

* 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.
* The 1942 film ''Life Begins at Eight-Thirty'' begins with the main character, a washed-up alcoholic actor, losing his job as a department store Santa after showing up to work drunk on Christmas Eve.

* ''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.

* 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 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.

* ''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.)

* ''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.

* The 1942 film Life Begins at Eight-Thirty begins with the main character, a washed-up alcoholic actor, losing his job as a department store Santa after showing up to work drunk on Christmas Eve.

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]], or, in the most crass of {{Sit Com}}s, [[BringMyBrownPants urinating on him out of 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.

* ''[[Franchise/ArchieComics Archie]]'' comics have used this plot in many a Christmas themed storyline.

[[caption-width-right:350: The most wonderful time of the year.]]