Insulet Corporation, the global leader in tubeless insulin pump technology with its Omnipod® brand of products, is celebrating representation and inclusion for the diabetes community through an activation in the popular Nintendo® video game Animal Crossing™: New Horizons.
Beginning today, players can download design codes to access custom outfits that let them wear an insulin pump or carry an accessory bag for their diabetes supplies.
They can also visit Omnipod Bay, a family-friendly, diabetes-themed island full of adventures, surprises, and experiences which include booths promoting awareness for advocacy organizations like JDRF, Beyond Type 1, Children with Diabetes, and Kyler Cares Foundation.
According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Insulet, 94 percent of people with type 1 diabetes said it’s important to see people with diabetes accurately represented in culture and society. Yet, in the last year, 51 percent of respondents said they rarely or never saw diabetes represented in culture and society.
Representation of people with diabetes is important to us, so we looked for an opportunity to make diabetes part of everyday culture, said Lei Mercado, Chief Marketing Officer of Insulet Corporation. We worked closely with the diabetes community, leading advocacy groups, and gamers to see how we could educate others. Our hope is that the Animal Crossing integration will help people with diabetes feel more included, connected, and seen in a fun and engaging way.
In addition to selecting one of the outfits, players can visit Omnipod Bay to navigate an obstacle maze, take part in a scavenger hunt, perform in a concert, swim in the A1 Sea (a play on A1c, also known as HbA1c or hemoglobin A1c, which is your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months), discover a hidden lounge, or snap selfies at one of the other community-inspired sites sprinkled throughout the island.
“My brother and I both live with type 1 diabetes, and we grew up playing video games. If we’d seen this type of diabetes representation in a game as kids, it would have meant so much,” said Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., CEO, JDRF International. “JDRF is proud to partner with Insulet for this unique experience, and we are excited for the community to explore Omnipod Bay.”
The integration will be revealed today at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) in a livestream event created to fundraise for JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. In partnership with JDRF Game2Give™, a program that mobilizes the video game community to raise money toward finding cures, five content creators who live with type 1 diabetes will visit the island, compete in party games, and collect donations while streaming the experience to their respective Twitch channels. Insulet will match a portion of donations made during this event. For more details, tune in on JDRF’s Twitch channel or to make a donation, visit the Tiltify event page.
For more details on the integration and to download the look book with the design codes and directions to the island, visit www.Omnipod.com/OmnipodBay.
*The national survey results are based upon the responses of 1,015 U.S. adults living with type 1 diabetes. Thrivable conducted an online survey on behalf of Insulet between Oct. 13 and Oct. 20, 2021, using the Thrivable proprietary Health Panel Database.
