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If they were charity fundraisers…

Matt Smith | 29 July 2021 | Blogs

Love heart like with mobile phone - Unsplash
Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

As with many things on social media, this series happened completely by accident! I had the Turtles idea when I was walking in Brockwell Park listening to a podcast about the best cartoons from the 1990s.

The brilliance of TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) was that each of the turtles had such a well-defined personality and played off each other so well. That team dynamic felt so transferable to the charity world and it just wrote itself in my head!

That first one got a really good reaction and, as we were right in the middle of the media frenzy for the Friends reunion, the second one was very obvious! I think the Friends one particularly resonated because of how much love people still have for that show (despite it being over 25 years since it started!) and you could easily see each of the characters in a fundraising role.

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Since then I’ve tried to pick ideas that have that mix joy and nostalgia, and aren’t too much of a stretch to make the different fundraising disciplines fit for each character.

The exception is obviously the England Euros 2020 one. The days following the Euros final were incredibly sad, despite that team achieving so much, and it ended in such a painful and depressing way. I wanted to show my admiration, respect and love for that group, and so the thread highlighting their fundraising and campaigning was my small way of doing that.

What’s next?

I get so many requests and questions about the next one. Schitt’s Creek, Marvel and boy bands from the 90s being the most popular!

The Euros one felt like the right time to pause them for a while, but who knows, they may return in the Autumn!

I’d also like to thank everyone who’s liked and shared them and sent me so many positive messages – it’s been a difficult time for us all and if I’ve brought even a glimmer of joy to someone on a difficult day then that makes me very happy.

The TMNT one

Click through to enjoy the full thread

The Friends one

The Spice Girls one

The Pixar one

The England at the Euros one

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