Three Kings strike back at Santa Claus in Spain

MADRID (Reuters) - Santa Claus is under attack by his traditional rivals in Spain, the Three Kings, in an advertising campaign that shows the jolly man in red shot down in an alley and calls him over-commercial and cruel to elves.

Spanish children traditionally receive Christmas presents on January 6, when parades commemorate the Three Kings said to have followed the Star of Bethlehem to bring presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Christ.

But in recent years Santa Claus has made inroads during the holiday season, helped by Hollywood films and shops eager to use his image to persuade parents to buy more toys.

Now, a Spanish advertising agency is fighting back with a campaign that includes posters on Madrid streets and a rap video criticizing Santa to win back the festive season for the Three Kings.

In the video, three rapping Kings backed by dancing girls taunt Santa as an overweight import whose red costume was popularized by a Coca Cola advertising campaign.

"We're the Three Kings -- who the Hell are you?" they chant in the expletive-laced video ending with Father Christmas being machine-gunned in an alley.

On the video at www.yosoydelosreyesmagos.com, the rapping kings give a phone number for elves to call if Santa has exploited them in his factory, make fun of his trouser size and tell him to stay out of Spain.

"Ho, ho, ho? You clown," says one of the kings, as one of them passes a finger menacingly across his throat.

(Reporting by Jason Webb, Editing by Michael Kahn)