By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Peanuts Worldwide and the American Red Cross have relaunched their collaborative partnership to gift limited-edition t-shirts to blood donors.
In honor of Peanuts 75th anniversary, volunteers who donate blood to the Red Cross will once again receive an exclusive co-branded mystery bag.
Running from August 29 to September 21, the limited-edition mystery bags contain one of four Peanuts-inspired t-shirt designs with the collaboration’s new slogan, ‘A little goes a long way, give blood’.
The four licensed t-shirt designs feature playful graphic art of Snoopy and Woodstock alongside imagery associated with the Red Cross charity.
The partnership between Peanuts and the non-profit organization first ran in April 2023, with an exclusive shirt give-away that featured the message, ‘Be Cool. Donate Blood’.
During just the first week of the 2023 campaign, the Red Cross welcomed approximately 14,000 first-time donors and saw a 40% increase in donation appointments, with 75% of these donors under the age of 34.
“These shirts became a sensation the first time around, and with Peanuts marking 75 years of heart and humor, it’s the perfect moment to bring them back,” said American Red Cross partnership director, Darren Irby. “We hope this celebration inspires even more people to give the gift of life.”
The anniversary collaboration comes as the United States heads into September, which has historically been the most active month of the year for hurricane disasters.
A strong supply of blood and platelets from healthy donors is essential to ensure preparedness for the medical emergencies associated with these exteme weather events.
Even when hospitals are fully stocked with blood products, sudden events can cause a rapid drop in the availability of lifesaving transfusions.
Those with O positive and B negative blood types are especially vital as the Red Cross works to meet on-going patient and hospital needs, but all blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, before arriving at the blood drive.
Since its initial creation as a newspaper comic strip, the Peanuts brand has expanded into a global multi-platform entertainment franchise.
The Peanuts brand, characters and other related intellectual property are owned and managed by Peanuts Worldwide.
Peanuts Worldwide is a jointly-owned venture that is operated by WildBrain, Sony Music Entertainment and the family of Peanuts creator, Charles M. Schulz.
The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that provides shelter, food and comfort to victims of disasters.
The nonprofit also supplies approximately 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches life-saving first aid skills, distributes international humanitarian aid and more.
Image Source: PRNewsfoto/American Red Cross/Peanuts Worldwide.
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