The following press release has been issued:
Make-A-Wish to Benefit from Limited-Edition WWE Superstar John Cena® Action Figure Available Exclusively at Toys“R”Us®
Mattel®, Toys“R”Us® and WWE® Join Forces to Grant Wishes for Children with Critical Illnesses
PHOENIX (July 11, 2017) – Three national corporate sponsors of Make-A-Wish® are coming together to support the organization that grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Mattel®, Toys“R”Us® and WWE are partnering to launch a new John Cena action figure – available exclusively at Toys“R”Us stores nationwide beginning Tuesday, August 15. The presale for the limited-edition collectible begins today, July 11, online at Toysrus.com.
For every purchase of the action figure, Mattel will donate a portion of the proceeds to Make-A-Wish to support the wish granting efforts of the organization.
The figure features John Cena looking match-ready in red, white and blue, stars-and-stripes ring gear. The patriotic color scheme is the result of input from Alex, a Make-A-Wish kid from Los Angeles, Calif. Alex worked with the teams at Mattel and WWE to put his personal design on the new action figure. Alex is an example of the hundreds of wish kids who have wished to meet John Cena and have been forever changed as a result. Having granted more than 500 wishes to date, Cena is the most popular celebrity wish granter in Make-A-Wish history.
“Having the opportunity to meet Alex and witness first-hand his vision behind the action figure was an incredible experience,” said WWE Superstar John Cena. “There is nothing more humbling than a child who could ask for anything in the world asking to meet me, and I will continue to grant wishes as long as I am asked.”
“At Make-A-Wish, we have heard over and over again how wishes have the power to bring families and communities closer together for the better,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish America president and CEO. “This is a case where wishes have inspired three of our sponsors to work collaboratively to bring the life-affirming nature of a wish to more wish kids, and we could not be more excited.”
In conjunction with the pre-sale of the action figure, now through Monday, July 31, Toys“R”Us will host a social media fundraising initiative benefitting Make-A-Wish America. For every retweet or share of the retailer’s #GivingIsAwesome posts, the company will donate $1 to the organization, up to $25,000.
Another fundraising opportunity will come in late August when five John Cena autographed action figures will be auctioned off to the public on eBay with 100% of revenue generated through the auction benefitting Make-A-Wish.
Mattel, Toys“R”Us and WWE each have a longstanding history with Make-A-Wish as corporate sponsors on a local and national level. Mattel, a national sponsor since 2007, has donated thousands of toys for wish activities and developed co-branded toy items with some of its most popular brands like Hot Wheels® and Barbie®. Toys“R”Us regularly donates toys and gift cards for shopping sprees in addition to providing annual grants from the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund – leading to more than $3.5 million in donations in nearly 20 years. In addition to providing monetary support, WWE has granted thousands of wishes to meet Superstars as well as donated event tickets since the early 1980s.
To learn more about this unique collaboration and find out how to make more wishes possible, visit www.wish.org/JohnCenaFigure.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
