A new generation of fans are bleeding for beloved mascot Snoopy as part of a new viral trend on TikTok.
While the news may seem alarming at first, the trend is actually quite healthy. Young Snoopy fans donate blood to get an exclusive Red Cross shirt featuring the character, then share videos of it online. At the time of publishing, have some of the best videos more than 1.5 million views, but what’s even more amazing is how the trend has affected blood donation numbers. The Red Cross told Polygon that the number of appointments for blood donations increased by 40 percent in the weeks following the promotion of the shirt.
The shirt in question has a relatively simple design. It’s a white T-shirt with Joe Cool — the name of Snoopy’s alter ego who wears sunglasses — leaning on the Red Cross logo and reading, “Be cool.” Give blood.” It’s tied to part of a bigger one promotional campaign starring the Peanuts characters created by Charles M. Schulz; those who go in and donate blood, platelets or plasma can get a free shirt. The campaign is now live and will run until April 23.
Because the shirt features Snoopy, it’s causing a stir online as young users share videos of them flexing their Snoopy swag after they or a loved one donate blood. There is no standard meme or format for the videos, but many use the classic “Peanuts Themeas audio and share videos of the shirt or document the process of going to donate blood to get it.
Snoopy has regained popularity among online fandom in recent years. A strong example of this comes from this mysterious one TikTok account sharing delicious edits of Snoopy living his best life. (I say “mysterious” because all of these edits were supposedly made by a young girl who hasn’t appeared online and only communicates through her older sister). The account, which has more than 380,000 followers, helped put Snoopy back on the map for many fans online. At the time of publication, the hashtag “Snoopy” has over 810 million views.
In a statement issued to Polygon via email, Executive Director of National Brand Partnerships at the Red Cross, Darren Irby, said the Red Cross has historically used colleges and high schools to donate blood to a younger audience, but that the pandemic made it more difficult in recent years. However, the rift is now at least partially addressed by Snoopy.
“In the past few days, we’ve seen an increase in traffic to our website and a more than 40% increase in blood donation appointments from the week before the partnership, the vast majority of which comes from organic search,” Irby said. “Our donation appointments are up more than 20% year-over-year since last Monday. And almost 27,000 more people than we expected scheduled an appointment last week.”
Where can I get the Red Cross Snoopy shirt?
If you’re reading this and wondering how to get your hands on one of these snazzy shirts, we’ve got you covered. First, you should check the eligibility guidelines to make sure you can donate blood, platelets, or plasma. (Although the FDA recently proposed changes that could expand who is eligible to donate blood, make sure you check in with Guidelines of the Red Cross to see the most up-to-date rules.)
Once you have verified that you can donate blood, all you need to do is make an appointment at a local site using the directory of the Red Cross. Please note: the promotion runs until April 23, or while stocks last, so if you want to get your hands on a shirt, get in quick! That way everyone can all wear Snoopy shirts.