Krampus is often mentioned in media related to Christmas,[note 3] but the following lists instances where the character is featured significantly.
Krampus celebrations
Washington DC Krampusnacht walk, 2016.
Krampus-related events are held in cities across North America. Each may have a theme or cause, be it a simple bar crawl, toy drive, or a charity fundraiser. Below are a few:
Costumed characters are a central part of all Krampus celebrations. These characters include: Krampus, Saint Nikolaus, the woodsman, angels, and the old woman. As Krampus is half-goat and half-demon, the costume normally shares certain primary elements such as: a fur suit, horns, demon mask, and hooves. Props commonly used are; bells, a birch switch, basket worn on the back, chains, walking staff, and a horse hair or hemp flogger. The most traditional Krampus costumes are made from goat/sheep skins, animal horns, and hand carved masks. More often they are made with modern and less costly materials, such as: fake fur and latex masks. Several Krampus costume instructional YouTube videos are available.[12][13][14][15][16]
The Venture Brothers episode "A Very Venture Christmas" (2004). While looking for a Christmas story to read aloud at the annual Venture Compound Christmas Party, Hank and Dean unwittingly summon the Krampus from one of Dr. Orpheus's grimoires.
Grimm episode "Twelve Days of Krampus" (2013). Depicted as a man who annually transforms into Krampus (Derek Mears) to kidnap and eat "naughty" children on Christmas.[27]
Murdoch Mysteries episode "A Merry Murdoch Christmas" (2015, season 9). A sighting of Krampus is reported on the night a philanthropist dressed as Santa is murdered at a Christmas Gala. Inspector Brackenreid has a nightmare of his boyhood encounter with Krampus.[29][30]
Episode 5 of The Santa Clauses has Krampus amongst all the past Santas Simon Choksi sees in the Yuleverse.
Print media
Krampus: The Devil of Christmas (2004), by Monte Beauchamp collects early 1900s Krampus postcards[31]
Art director and graphic designer Monte Beauchamp published Krampus postcards from the 19th and 20th centuries in his magazine BLAB! after being introduced to them by a collector. He then had two books of Krampus postcards published in 2004 and 2010. An exhibit was mounted in a gallery in Santa Monica, and a friend of Beauchamp's opened a Krampus-themed club in Los Angeles.[32]
Random Spirit Lover album (2007), by the Canadian indie band Sunset Rubdown, features a picture of Krampus on the back cover. Spencer Krug stated that it was placed there because "he represents the sort of duality that's a theme on the record, the two sides of every thing."[37]
The single "Naughty Christmas" (2016) by Italian band Lacuna Coil mentions Krampus repeatedly throughout the song.[38]
Krampus: A Yuletide Tale, a musical by Carrie Gilchrist (book, lyrics) and Nils-Petter Ankarblom (book, music, lyrics),[39] was first produced at Short North Stage in Columbus, Ohio in December 2015.[40][41][42]
In the Doctor Who audio drama series Ravenous (2018), the two-part "Better Watch Out" and "Fairytale of Salzburg" sees the Eighth Doctor and his companions attend a Christmas celebration in Salzburg, only for a mysterious wish-granting entity to grant a wish that makes the Krampus real. As the Krampus (Robert Whitelock) nearly sends the whole city to Hell, the Doctor's companion Helen Sinclair is able to find the original Saint Nicholas (Raad Rawi) and bring him to the present so that he can command the Krampus to depart, as tradition states that only Saint Nick can command the Krampus.[43]
Overwatch, an online video game by Blizzard Entertainment, features a customized Krampus skin for the character Junkrat in their "Overwatch Winter Wonderland" event.[44]
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010), a Finnish thriller film about finding the source of the original Santa Claus myth; a supernatural being who, rather than rewarding good children, punishes the naughty.
Santa Claus (1959) from Mexico features a demon who ineptly attempts to ruin Christmas.
In a 2022 episode of The Family Histories Podcast, Krampus suddenly breaks into host Andrew Martin's garage where he keeps his time machine. Krampus is soon knocked unconscious by the 19th Century Hungarian poet and revolutionary Sándor Petőfi, and they learn that he is carrying a scroll listing the show's naughty guests. Krampus is zapped back into time to a random date.[45]
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