Articles
Blood Buddy Mascot
Topic
Society
Subtopic
Identity and values
12 June 2023
#Didyouknow that every hour of the day, 15 units of blood are used in Singapore to sustain the lives of those in emergencies, major surgeries, and those with medical conditions? 🩸
Indeed, for many patients, blood donors play an important role for them to continue living and maintaining a good quality of life.
Enter Blood Buddy (or ‘BB’ in short), a cute and distinctly rotund mascot first introduced in 2005. Blood Buddy was an initiative by the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) to encourage regular blood donations and raise awareness about the ongoing need for blood donors to support patients in need.
Blood Buddy was traditionally seen as a physical mascot in malls, blood donation drives, and outreach activities run by the SRC. In 2021, more than 15 years after Blood Buddy was introduced, the SRC launched a refreshed look for the mascot that reflected a lively and adorable personality in order to appeal more to young potential donors.
The refreshed Blood Buddy also supported the launch of the ‘One More Step’ campaign by SRC, which encourages potential donors to take small, incremental steps towards being a regular blood donor.
Indeed, as Mr Prakash Menon, Director of the Blood Donor Programme of SRC said, “We recognise the importance of inculcating the habit of giving blood from a young age, and we hope to encourage youth to adopt blood donation as a lifestyle.”
To find out more, head over to https://redcross.sg/give-blood/why-should-i-donate-blood.html. With 4 easily accessible blood banks, frequent community blood donation drives, and Blood Buddy cheering us on, we can all tap into our capacity to donate regularly -- and help fellow Singaporeans in need!