The track is available digitally
The Philly Specials are back with one last surprise this holiday season, with the release of “Run Rudolph Run,” with Jon Bon Jovi. This comes on the heels of Operation Snowball, which saw Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata – surprising students at Ben Franklin High School, Eliza B. Kirkbride School, and Alliance Charter School as Operation Snowball arrived via motorcade which included The Philly Specials’ red Astrovan, a Philly Specials toy truck, police escorts, three Amazon delivery vans, and a firetruck amongst others to hand deliver presents and celebrate the end of 2024! In addition to providing a gift for every student and teacher in the School District of Philadelphia with 1.1 million gifted items, in a partnership with The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, the players gave high fives, led sing-alongs, visited with classrooms, and hand-delivered gifts to students.
The students and teachers were delighted to share in the joy of the season and recognize the culmination of their hard work and dedication with some of the most recognizable NFL Eagles, all of the big four Philadelphia mascots (Swoop, The Phanatic, Gritty, Franklin), Paw Patrol’s Chase, Eagles security Big Dom, honorary Eagles fan, comedian Pete Davidson, Wallo & Gillie Da King and the Operation Snowball global partners. Joining The Philly Specials were Governor Josh Shapiro, PA Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, The School District of Philadelphia’s Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr., Ed. D., President and CEO of The Fund For The School District of Philadelphia, Kathryn Epps, and representatives from the global retailers, toy companies and nonprofits who partnered with The Philly Specials to help bring Operation Snowball to life.
With the release of their third and final holiday album, A Philly Special Christmas Party via Vera Y Records reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Independent Albums Chart, No. 2 on Billboard’s Holiday Albums Chart, Vinyl Chart, and Top Album Sales Chart, and No. 16 on Billboard’s Top 200. The players decided to do something that has never been done before for Philly’s public school students and truly embrace the spirit and magic of the season. All proceeds from album sales support the citywide initiative and direct donations to The Fund for The School District of Philadelphia.
The initial idea for Operation Snowball was sparked by Jason Kelce, who wanted to match the indomitable spirit of the City of Philadelphia by doing something BIG that would reach an unprecedented number of youth. When children’s entertainment company Spin Master generously donated close to $1 million worth of toys to get the initiative (and snowball) rolling, Operation Snowball was born. Spin Master is best known for its innovation in toys and games, including award-winning brands like PAW Patrol, Hatchimals, and Rubik’s Cube.
In addition to Spin Master, The Philly Specials teamed up with the following global partners, toy companies and nonprofits for Operation Snowball including Just Play, Fanatics, Jazwares, QVC, Tarte Cosmetics, Toy Foundation, Amazon Wondery / Amazon Local Good, WildBrain, Five Below, Wawa, Shipmates and Zippy Shell.
“Santa Drives An Astrovan,” the album’s third single, has reached No. 1 on the iTunes Holiday Charts and is accompanied by a music video shot before a live audience at Lincoln Financial Field. The first two singles from A Philly Special Christmas Party include the iTunes holiday chart-topping Kelce and Stevie Nicks duet, “Maybe This Christmas,” and the charting Jason, Travis, and Boyz II Men collaboration, “It’s Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights).” The music video for “Loud Little Town,” featuring Jason and Kylie Kelce, was released via YouTube the night before Thanksgiving.
A Philly Special Christmas Special raised over $3 million and singles, “This Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” and “Pretty Paper” have garnered over 10 million streams across platforms. “Fairytale of Philadelphia” reached No. 1 on iTunes, 50,000 copies have been sold on vinyl and the stop motion special created by unPOP Animation, A Philly Special Christmas Special, has been viewed over 700,000 times with 10,000 live viewers tuning in to its premiere on Thanksgiving night. Its predecessor in 2022, A Philly Special Christmas, immediately sold out its limited pressing. The record reached four top ten spots on various Billboard Music Charts including No. 1 on the Compilation Albums Chart. A Philly Special Christmas donated over $1 million to local charities including Children’s Crisis Treatment Center and fulfilled the wish lists of Philadelphia School District teachers via Donors Choose.
