Portland’s favorite festive tradition of hunting for Santa Clones is on

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A festive tradition that’s kept Portlanders guessing for years is back at a new location.

The Santa Clones, a concept founded by Nike designer Chris Willis, have returned to the city once again.

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The tradition got its start in 2010, when Willis saw multiple collections of 13-inch Santas on eBay and decided to fill an empty building on East Burnside Street with them. Since then, the number of festive figurines has grown from just 150 in their debut year to about 450 now.

Willis typically places the Santa Clones in a vacant storefront every year, but he told KOIN 6 there was a lull between 2012 and 2014 when he couldn’t find a space.

In 2015, he displayed the small figures in a gallery for just one night. However, installing and taking down the exhibit on the same night proved to be a hassle, so the designer brainstormed other options for the following year.

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“[I was] having a conversation with some friends and one of them had offered up to use her front lawn as a space for it,” Willis said. “But that year, I didn’t want to just drop her address on Instagram or let people know. I thought, ‘Maybe there’s some way to get people to maybe work it for a little bit…’ That was the first year — 2016 — that I did the clues.”

Now, clues are a huge part of the Santa Clones tradition. The founder shares simple hints on social media every year so people who aren’t especially familiar with the city can still participate.

The latest collection was installed on Dec. 4 and will be on display through Jan. 1. Willis has already provided three clues on the location, which gives off “serious gallery vibes” — unlike some previous displays where the figurines were placed on the floor.

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“This location was very unique and very special and challenging for me to bring to life because it was something different than what I had been doing before,” he said.

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