UNICEF Canada has updated its iconic orange charity Halloween box by putting it on a T-shirt and adding a built-in QR code for donations.

The humanitarian aid organization teamed up with Canadian apparel brand Kotn for the limited-edition retro T-shirt.

Instead of asking Canadians to give through the orange box this Halloween, UNICEF Canada is inviting them to wear it, and “turn every doorstep into a moment of impact.”

UNICEF Canada says this is the first time it has employed a fashion collab for the legacy program, which began in this country in 1955 and raised millions of dollars before being discontinued in 2006 due to the penny being phased out. 

Generations of Canadians remember carrying the orange donation boxes on their trick-or-treat outings, or helping to count and roll the coins collected, and that’s who UNICEF Canada is targeting.

“The orange UNICEF Halloween box was a shared childhood memory that made giving part of growing up. We wanted to harness the power of nostalgia to remind Canadians that they can continue to make an impact for children around the world,” the organization says.

The campaign aims to turn that nostalgia into action by bringing the orange box back in a modern way. It also sees the collab as a way to engage future generations.

“We are proud to reconnect Canadians with the orange box, now designed for today’s world, so they can pass on the tradition of giving at Halloween to their own children,” Sara Zerehi, chief strategic engagement officer at UNICEF Canada, tells MiC.

The campaign, which runs through Halloween, is being supported primarily through UNICEF Canada’s owned digital channels as well as earned media, with selective paid amplification closer to the holiday, and through a partnership with Buzzfeed Canada. Public Inc. is the agency partner.

“For many Canadians, the orange UNICEF box was one of their first experiences with ‘giving back.’ It’s rare to find a piece of nostalgia that carries so much meaning, and even rarer to have the chance to bring it back to life,” Phil Haid, the agency’s founder and CEO, tells MiC. “Our goal with this campaign was to remind people that something small, like a trick-or-treat moment, can still have a big impact. It’s been an honour to help reimagine a Canadian classic and turn that memory into a movement.”  

The T-shirt is available on Kotn’s website, and all net proceeds from the sale and from donations made through the QR code will fund UNICEF’s global aid and advocacy work, which includes providing nutrition, safe water, health care and education to children in need. The organization says an estimated 213 million children worldwide require humanitarian assistance this year alone.