What are you willing to pay for a super exclusive tee? a few hundred dollars? How many hours to wait in line?
What about blood?
A white graphic T-shirt featuring the “Peanuts” character Snoopy has become the subject of a lot of buzz online. This t-shirt was dropped by the Red Cross and Peanuts as part of a blood donation promotion in April. It’s free — though the only way to get it is by donating blood, plasma or platelets.
The prize T-shirt shows Snoopy, in the guise of his alter ego Joe Cool, nonchalantly leaning against the distinctive Red Cross emblem, which reads: “Cool. Give blood.”
A video A TikTok post on Wednesday dedicated to donating blood to get a Snoopy shirt was viewed more than 4 million times. Dozens of similar clips followed, some set to Vince Guaraldi Trio’s Jazz instrumental “Linus and Lucy”.
“They finally realized we would do anything for merchandise,” wrote one commenter.
Mollie Fox, a senior at Belmont University in Nashville, was one of the most recent donors, motivated at least in part by the prospect of a Snoopy shirt. During Wednesday’s date, she said she tried to be as calm as the famous beagle.
“I was in a booth and they measured my hemoglobin level and the guy said, ‘Oh, by the way, we’re doing a promotion where we’re giving away Snoopy T-shirts for donors. You want One?'” Ms Fox said. “I pretended I didn’t know. Like, ‘Yeah, sure.'”
She added that she also emulated her father, who often donates blood. “He’s like, in the hall of fame at our hometown blood bank,” Ms. Fox said.
The experience, she added, was simple. (Blood donations are generally low-risk for those who qualify.) She left the appointment with a T-shirt, a few free packs of Cheez-Its, and an appointment to donate again in June.
The Red Cross has offered tie-in merchandise at previous blood drives. In 2019, the nonprofit partnered with HBO “Bleeding for the Throne” It’s offering T-shirts commemorating the final season of Game of Thrones and a chance to win a replica throne.
“The strategy is to bring blood donations into the fan base and really inspire new donors through their existing interests and passion points,” said Darren Irby, executive director of national brand partnerships for the Red Cross.
To help its latest campaign gain traction, the group paid influencers to post ads for the Peanuts partnership on TikTok and Instagram. It’s the videos from everyday TikTok users, though, that are really going viral.
Cristina Perez, a 20-year-old bioengineering student at the University of Pennsylvania, said she saw the T-shirt on TikTok Wednesday night and quickly booked an appointment for the next day.
“I thought, I need This shirt,” she said.
After donating blood for the first time, she said she is considering giving blood more often. As the weather warms up, she plans to wear her Snoopy shirt “with some longer shorts for a casual look,” she said, using the portmanteau of “denim shorts.” She added that she hopes the Red Cross will release a SpongeBob shirt next.
Others on social media lamented blood donation restrictions Would stop them from getting Snoopy shirts. The FDA has long excluded most gay and bisexual men from donating blood. In January, the agency said it would relax those restrictions instead of screening donors based on their recent sexual activity.A user wrote on the screen vibrato video Unable to donate blood because he recently had a boyfriend.
The American Red Cross created a private blood donation program in the 1940s. During the coronavirus pandemic, the organization said its blood supply had experienced a “staggering” drop. Mr Irby said young people typically start donating blood when they are in high school or college, many of which have been put on hold during the pandemic. He now sees many young people starting to donate blood on social media.
Snoopy, a floppy-eared beagle from a Charles M. Schulz cartoon, was no stranger to public adoration. On striptease and more than 40 “Peanuts” TV specials, he was Charlie Brown’s sidekick and director of vivid fantasy characters, including Joe Kuhl.
Peyton Weber, 19, a student at Joliet Junior College in Illinois, said the role of “Peanuts” was a wise choice for the Red Cross partner because of his commitment to generations of Everyone is attractive. Mr. Webb, a longtime Peanuts fan, was especially excited about the Joe Cool graphic on this t-shirt.
“It’s just Snoopy with sunglasses, but it’s something completely different,” he said. “What’s cooler than a dog wearing sunglasses?”
He added that he hoped the Red Cross would not run out of shirts before Tuesday’s appointment. The promotion is scheduled to run until April 23rd. (“While stocks last,” warns Mr. Irby.)
exist a recent videoa TikTok user posted a video of what appeared to be paramedics assisting a blood donor who apparently passed out in the process.
“Anything in a Snoopy shirt,” said the on-screen caption.
