Children in Australia can call Santa for free this Christmas using a giant family-sized payphone unveiled by Telstra at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market.
The oversized phone is designed for siblings, cousins and friends to speak to Santa during the same call, with overhead speakers allowing everyone nearby to hear his replies. Telstra says it is the first of its kind in Australia.
The initiative is intended to reduce squabbles among children waiting for their turn to speak to Santa. Research commissioned by Telstra found that more than 70 per cent of parents said their children argue as much or more at Christmas than at other times of the year.
Forty-three per cent said children found it difficult to wait patiently to speak to Santa, while almost one in three parents said ensuring every child received a fair turn could be challenging.
Free calls to Santa available nationwide
From November 10 until Christmas Eve, children can call Santa free from any of Telstra’s more than 14,000 public payphones across Australia by dialling #HOHOHO, or #464646.
Children unable to visit the giant payphone in Melbourne can use the service from regular Telstra payphones. Child-sized Santa phones will also be available at selected Telstra stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
The campaign will support Kids Helpline, a 24-hour counselling service for children and young people aged five to 25. Telstra will donate $1 for every call made to Santa between November 10 and November 17.
Telstra’s Free Calls to Santa campaign began in 2021. Across the past five Christmas seasons, Australians have made almost 2.5 million calls, spending close to six million minutes speaking to Santa.
