Happy (Registered Trademark) Holidays!

December is one of the largest shopping months of the year, due mostly to the overlap of multiple major holidays, such as Hanukkah and Christmas, and the coming new year. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that several companies and creatives invoke the spirit of the holidays through festive marks–to great financial gain. But you might be surprised to learn just how many holiday-themed trademarks have been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office over the years. Take a look at some recent trademark search results for common holiday terms:

• Hanukkah/Chanukah: 49 registrations (e.g., “Happy Hanukkah!”)
• Kwanzaa: 27 (e.g., “Kwanzaa Teddy”)
• Christmas: 2,202 (e.g., “A Christmas Story”)

Source: All Ticket

• Merry Christmas: 87 (e.g., “Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal”)
• Christmas Tree: 138 (e.g., “Christmas Tree Hugger”)
• Jingle Bells: 58 (e.g., “Jingle Bell Rock Candy”)
• Happy Holidays: 34 (e.g., “Happy Holiday Salad”)
• Dreidel: 27 (e.g., “Outer Space Dreidel”)
• Yule: 51 (e.g., “A Cool Yule Tool”)
• New Years: 226 (e.g., “Sing in the New Year”)
• Nutcracker: 103 (e.g., “Hip Hop Nutcracker”)

Source: Ticket Star

• Frosty: 383 (e.g., “FrostyBites Frozen Yogurt”)
• Scrooge: 47 (e.g., “Scrooge McJellz”)
• Rudolf/Reindeer: 50 (e.g., “Joe the Suntanned Reindeer”)
• Santa Claus: 134 (e.g., “Camouflage Santa Claus”)
• Saint Nicholas/Saint Nick: 55 (e.g., “Saint Nicks Flying U.F.O.”)
• Elf/elves: 596 (e.g., “Zombie Elves”)
• Bah Humbug: 32 (e.g., “Humbug’r”)

Source: Oregon Beer Project

• Grinch: 46 (e.g., “Grinch’s Cave Maze”)
• Krampus: 13 (e.g., “Krampus Cookies”)
• Snowman: 119 (e.g., “Snowman: the Eighty Dollar Champion”)
• Snowflake: 191 (e.g., “Yeti Snowflake”)
• Resolutions: 5 (e.g., “Resolutions It’s a New Year Every Day”)

No matter how one celebrates, and whether near or far from friends and family, the excitement surrounds us at every turn, gifting us with clever brands and slogans (as noted above). Happy holidays and a joyous new year!

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