This Red Cross Snoopy shirt is so good blood donations are on the rise

As part of the new trend on TikTok, a whole new generation is shedding tears for Snoopy, his beloved mascot.

The news is not only alarming, but it’s actually very healthy. Many young Snoopy fanatics are willing to donate blood for a shirt featuring their favorite character from the Red Cross. They then share videos online of the shirt. At the time of publication, some of the top videos have exceeded 1.5 million views, but what’s more astounding is how the trend has impacted blood donation numbers. According to the Red Cross, blood donation appointments rose 40% in the first week after the shirt was promoted.

It has a very simple design. It’s a white T-shirt that displays Joe Cool — the name of Snoopy’s alter ego that wears sunglasses — leaning on the Red Cross logo and text that reads, “Be cool. Give blood.” It’s tied to part of a larger 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. This campaign runs from now until April 23.

The shirt features Snoopy and is popular online because young people share video clips of themselves showing off their Snoopy gear after they donate blood. There is no standard meme or format for the videos, but many use the classic “Peanuts Theme” as audio and share videos of the shirt or document the process of going to donate blood to get it.

Snoopy is enjoying a revival in popularity online in recent years. This TikTok account, which shares charming edits showing Snoopy enjoying his best life is a strong example. (I say “mysterious” because all these edits are supposedly made by a young girl who hasn’t appeared online and only communicates through her older sister). Snoopy was able to regain popularity online thanks to the account that has more than 380,000 followers. At the time of publication, the hashtag “Snoopy” has over 810 million views.

Darren Irby is the Red Cross’ executive director of national brands partnerships. He stated in an email to Polygon that Red Cross traditionally used blood drives at high school and college campuses to bring blood donation to young people, but the current pandemic has made that more difficult. Snoopy is trying to close the gap.

“In the last few days, we’ve seen a surge in traffic to our website and a more than 40% increase in blood donation appointments versus the week before the partnership—with a vast majority coming from organic search,” Irby said. “Our donation appointments are up over 20% since last Monday, year-over-year. And nearly 27,000 more people than we expected scheduled an appointment to give last week.”

Can I buy the Red Cross Snoopy shirt from you?

If you’re reading this and wondering how you can go get one of these snazzy shirts, we got you covered. First, you’ll need to check the eligibility guidelines to make sure you can donate blood, platelets, or plasma. The FDA has recently made changes to expand the eligibility to donate blood. However, you should still check the Red Cross guidelines for the latest rules.

You can check whether you’re eligible to donate blood by visiting the Red Cross website. Then, schedule an appointment at the local Red Cross facility using the directory. Notable: This offer is valid until April 23, so get your shirt now! This way everyone will be able to wear Snoopy shirts.