Klaus is the titular deuteragonist of the 2019 Netflix animated movie of the same name. He was a reclusive woodman and toymaker outside of Smeerensburg who befriends Jesper.
He is voiced by J. K. Simmons who is best known for voicing Ford Pines from Gravity Falls and Mayor Lionheart from Zootopia, and later portrayed another version of Santa in Red One.
History
Klaus is a reclusive woodsman who lives in isolation outside the town of Smeerensburg. He spends his time handcrafting intricate toys, though his reasons for doing so are initially unknown.
Klaus was once married to a woman named Lydia, but they were unable to conceive children. This caused Lydia great sadness and she eventually passed away from illness. In his grief, Klaus began making toys as a way to cope with the loss of his wife and their inability to start a family.
One day, Jesper Johansson discovers Klaus' home in the woods and is frightened by his imposing stature. Jesper had come across a drawing from one of the children in Smeerensburg and leaves it behind when he flees. Klaus uses the drawing to locate the child and has Jesper secretly deliver one of his handmade toys.
Word spreads of the mysterious toy-giver and soon all the children are writing letters to Klaus, believing he will grant their wishes. Klaus agrees to help Jesper by donating his toy collection on the condition they operate secretly at night.
Klaus' generosity and the powers of imagination he inspires in the children help heal long-standing divisions in the town. He also forms an unlikely friendship with Jesper. Together they work to fulfill every child's Christmas wishes.
It is eventually revealed that Klaus' wife Lydia perished from an illness preventing them from having children of their own. His toymaking was a way to cope with this heartbreak and loneliness.
In the story's climactic ending, Klaus follows "a wisp of wind up a sunny hill" and disappears, joining his wife at last. But every Christmas Eve thereafter, Jesper feels Klaus' spirit is still delivering toys to children worldwide as "Santa Claus" as he heard his laughter as sign he still visits his apprentice and friend.
Appearance
Klaus is huge and strong enough to bend iron bars with his bare hands. He also wears a traditional red outfit for Christmas.
Personality
Originally a jolly toymaker, Klaus grew to become a grouch after the death of his wife Lydia. Residing in the far corner of Smeerensburg, after noticing the new postman Jesper Johansson, Klaus forces him to deliver presents to the town's children every night, having him risk his life to bring happiness to the kids, all without being noticed. Knowing that the head Krum and Ellingboe are out to stop him from delivering toys on Christmas, Klaus, with the help of the teacher Alva, builds a second sleigh with false presents without telling Jesper this, having him risk his life to protect the fake presents while getting him to admit his faults. Klaus ends the movie reuniting with Lydia in the afterlife, becoming the magical Santa Claus in the process, while still taking time out of his schedule to visit Jesper every Christmas. Klaus sincerely believes that "a true selfless act always sparks another".
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