Santa Claus Oath

The Santa Claus Oath was inspired by researching the careers of Jim Yellig, Charles W. Howard and those persons who added to the Legend of Santa Claus.

For more than the past twenty years, Phillip L. Wenz has been an avid student and collector of Santa Claus material. He has been one of the few who have had access to numerous archival materials and does hold a substantial personal collection of artifacts from Santa's Village Dundee, IL (see below), Charles W. Howard's scrapbook micro-films, original Christmas Park materials, Santa Claus School materials, numerous photographs and film resources. Jim Yellig research materials include over 70 newspaper and magazine articles, film resources, photos and personal letters. Candy Castle includes historic documentations from the 1930's to current, the public relations archives of Millers & Rhoads Department Store's Christmas and Santa promotions, which include inter negatives, ad layouts, scripts for lunch with Santa, commercials, and radio spots. Also 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street includes scripts, background material, photos, location shoot guide and footage.

Numerous materials on Santa Doug Mellor and Santa Robert George. Department store profiles of Santa programs from Macys, Gimbles, Marshall Fields, PA Bergners, Carsons, Dillards, Foleys to mention a few, along with Santa Parade documentations of New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Houston, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Chicago, along with Peoria, IL. (the oldest Santa Claus parade.) Plus numerous "Santa" theme parks and related attractions materials and memorabilia.

Historical Costumes and Patterns study with documentations.  A video library of most things Santa and Christmas related from movies, newsreel films and television.  The audio library includes records, piano reels, CD's, and tapes with over 150 different album productions.

The collection also includes rare Christmas books, Santa stories, magazines that date to the 18th and 19th centuries. Numerous “Coca Cola” Santa research materials. Research documents on Santa’s family tree dating back to the Norse Gods traditions to St. Nicholas, to current legends.

Research on "photo companies" and Santa dating back to the late 1940's to current, along with working on documentation of major shopping malls and Santa's role in them.

Santa's Village IL Archives

The current archival holdings are without doubt the most complete historical documentation of the Dundee Santa's Village. The archives include certified copies of the original corporation charter of Santa's Village Corporation (California) of 1954, the 1956 addition of the Scotts Valley Santa's Village, Santa's Village Corporation business plan, the original 1958 lease for the 38 acres of the Dundee park, the amendments of the Polar Dome Project, the sale of the park to Everding Management, the sale to the Medina Investors, and the sale to North Pole Corporation. Documentations from the attempted purchase by North Pole Village, L.L.C., the auction of 2006 and the complete list of buyers who bought the assets. Other holdings include the Park's original blue prints; the foreman's working blue prints, the Polar Dome prints, Snowball ride prints (Arrow Development), the Antique Cars prints (Arrow Development), the 1966 redevelop prints for the Polar Dome, and each sequential addition prints. Listing of key management, contractors and employees. (Note: Information on any management, contractor or employee of Santa's Village is used in the historical context only.)

The visual archives include over 12,000 individual images of Santa's Village from the ground breaking of September 1958 to current photographs taken in July of 2008, complete sets of the 1959, 1963, and 1972 post card series (plus the inter-negatives that produced them), film footage from 1958 through 2006 including 1958's ground breaking, Santa's make-up test shots, opening day activities, the inflating of the Polar Dome, opening of the Dome activities, 1963-1966 ice shows, park commercials from 1963, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005. Public relations footage filmed for various promotions (group sales, picnic videos, etc), newspaper articles dating from 1958 to 2007, over 5,000 slides, park presentations, complete sets of brochures 1959-2003, park fun guides 1985-2003, aerial photo mapping pictures 1959, 1963, 1969, 1972, 1978, 1983, 1989, and 1994. Complete public relations archives including, image negatives, press photos, promotional partners, press releases, media kits, media coverage, interviews, stationary, business cards and artworks. Other visuals include numerous park photographs of the Sky Forest, California Park and the Scotts Valley, California Park, a 1963 feature film "Santa's Village" that was filmed at the Scotts Valley, California Park and three K. Gordon Murray featuretts that were filmed at the Dundee Park in 1964 and 1965. Audio archives include radio spots from 1966-2005.

Wenz also has collected some of the most hard to find Santa's Village memorabilia. The collection includes Park originals such as the complete Santa's House (ownership) and props (chair, good book desk, sleigh bed, side tables, Santa's sleigh, etc), the Frozen North Pole, large pocket watch, numerous 1959 park murals and signage. Rare items including the one of a kind Mrs. Claus' Candy Kitchen static display, cookie cutters, logo candy boxes, weighted rolling pin and the Santa's Village Cookbook that was used at all three parks. Other originals include a complete Pixie costume, Santa Sac burlap bag, reindeer puppet from the Wee Puppet Theatre, "In search of Santa" a Santa's Village adventure book and numerous early logo items such a tea candle holders, view master reels, plates, cups, post cards, shirts and elf hats. Coloring books, maps, games, felt boards, pennants, Santa's Helper pins and private photographs, all from the years 1959 through 1962.

The collection continues with Polar Dome items such as 1963 skating programs, ice hockey programs, logo hats and shirts. The 1963 through 1969 memorabilia includes series number two post cards, letters from Santa, new maps with the Polar Dome and traditional logo items such as park coloring books, hats and shirts. Rare items include a complete set of Pixie Pantry menus and Gingerbread House display props. The 1970's and 1980's brought new items such as logo salt and pepper shakers, mugs, series three post cards, shirts, hats and coffee cups. The 1990's had logo playing cards, shirts, hats and shot glasses. Our collection includes numerous era pieces besides the preceding items.

Other Items:
Employee uniforms - coats, shirts, hats, name tags and handbooks from different eras.
Logo - stationary, envelopes, business cards, folders and ink stamps. (We have a complete set of park stationary that starts in 1959 through 2005)
Santa Suits- 1959 Santa Suit worn by the park's original Santa, James L. Combs and the last Santa Suit worn at the park by Phillip L. Wenz.

Plus more materials sitting in boxes and file cabinets documenting numerous local Santas from different regions of the US and Canada.

Numerous Christmas cook books (around 100), antique and new cookie cutters and Christmas "tins".

The preceding list is only a very small portion of the archives and memorabilia holdings with many one of a kind and rare items. The total holdings of archives and memorabilia for Santa’s Village include the Polar Dome Ice Arena and Racing Rapids Action Park. At this time a complete list of archives and memorabilia is being cataloged. The collection is privately and physically held in central Illinois by Santa Claus Productions and is a registered holding by Phillip L. Wenz. The archives and memorabilia are not on display for public viewing. Viewing by appointment only. Absolutely at no time is any part of the collection for sale.