From cute images of chubby penguins, the Pudgy Penguin brand has evolved into an entire ecosystem of soft toys and toys of its own.
What is the Pudgy Penguins NFT Collection?
The Pudgy Penguins brand was launched in July 2021 by four college friends who decided to ride the wave of NFT popularity. ColeThereum has created 8,888 NFTs of Pudgy Penguins, priced at around $0.03 each. The collection sold out in 20 minutes at $90 apiece, bringing its creators more than $800,000.
Pudgy Penguins was recognizable compared to other popular NFT groups at the time, whose avatars were usually pixelated or trying to follow new trends. Instead, plump penguins have bright colors, small beaks, and round faces.
The first Pudgy Penguins set was so successful that shortly after its debut, the creators released a new set, Lil Pudgy's, consisting of 22,222 images of smaller versions of the original penguins.
However, the success could have lasted much longer. At the end of 2021, the prices of NFTs began to fall alongside the decline in the cryptocurrency market. Additionally, the Pudgy Penguin token holder community was disappointed by the creator team's attitude towards their group.
Led by student Cole Wellman (Coltherium), the creative team shared great plans and promised to release a book and game about cute penguins. However, the team has never set a timeline for these projects. Their NFT collection has been deleted from the OpenSea NFT marketplace for a while.
Creator ColeThereum had no intention of developing the project, and in April 2022 Luca Netz appeared. He bought the rights from the developer for 750 Ethereum, or $2.5 million at the exchange rate at the time, hired a team of experienced specialists, and began promoting. Within two years, Schnitzler was able to transform an initially unpromising resource into a unique ecosystem.
The ecosystem of obese penguins
Lil Budgies
Following on from the original Pudgy Penguins collection, the developers have introduced Lil Pudgys, a collection of 22,222 NFTs featuring hand-drawn Pudgys.
Holders of Lil Pudgys have the same rights as holders of Pudgy Penguins. They have access to intellectual property licensing experiences, events, and viewpoints, among other benefits.
However, the group's success could have lasted much longer. At the end of 2021, the prices of NFTs began to fall alongside the decline in the cryptocurrency market. Furthermore, the Pudgy Penguin token holder community was disappointed by the creator team's attitude towards their group.
In 2023, a cooperation agreement was signed with the LayerZero project, thanks to which Little Pudgys appeared on the Arbitrum and Polygon networks.
Fat bars
The Pudgy Rods are being offered as a free NFT, and any owner of a Pudgy Penguins NFT can claim the mint until August 30, 2021.
Fat games
In May 2023, the project team revealed the launch of the Pudgy Toys collection. The stuffed animals quickly spread on the market, with sales reaching $500,000 in just two days.
One feature that sets Pudgy Toys apart is that each toy comes with a digital interface called Pudgy World.
The company began selling Chubby Penguins in 2,000 Walmart stores in September 2023. As of April 2024, the company has sold over 1 million toys, generating $10 million in revenue, and the total number of toys sold. Transgression 1 million dollars.
Loose World Game
In December 2023, the authors of Pudgy Penguins announced that they were developing a game called Pudgy World – a free, browser-based blockchain game that tells the story of the adventures of two penguins. The developers have integrated the Ethereum network scaling protocol zkSync, launched by Matter Labs, into the software.
According to Michael Lee, the company's senior vice president of technology invented By the employees of his organization will allow the use of new business models and diversify the gaming experience. In this regard, a cryptocurrency earning system based on Pudgy World will be implemented.
“The launch of Pudgy World, in collaboration with Walmart, is a great testament to the capabilities of our joint development teams. Whether you are a seasoned NFT collector or venturing into the world of cryptocurrencies for the first time, Pudgy World aims to welcome millions of players to web3 to have fun, as well as make friends.” Always.
Michael Lee, Senior Vice President of Growth at Matter Labs
Owners of NFT Pudgy Penguins and plush penguin toys can create 3D characters based on their tokens. The developers are also expected to release a mobile version of the game in 2025.
How to buy NFTs for Pudgy Penguins?
There are currently two of the most trusted platforms for purchasing Pudgy Penguins NFTs. First, users can purchase a token from the official Pudgy Penguins marketplace. It is available on the project's official website and allows, among other things, to purchase a physical penguin toy.
The other most trusted marketplace to buy Penguin is OpenSea. Only NFTs are available for purchase on the platform.
What are the dynamics of the Pudgy Penguins now?
Data from OpenSea shows that the minimum price for Pudgy Penguins is currently 7.985 Ethereum (ETH), or approximately $28,200 at current rates.
The Pudgy Penguin OpenSea page shows that the most expensive recent sale was Penguin #6873, which sold for 400 ETH, or about $1.4 million.
CryptoSlam also reports that Pudgy Penguins ranks as the 20th most expensive NFT collection in the last 30 days, with $6 million in sales. NFT #5019 was the 13th most expensive NFT sold in the last 30 days. The token was purchased for $46,104.
Should users pay attention to NFTs now?
In 2021, NFTs are trending online. The excitement became so intense that some pictures were sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then suddenly people ran out of easy money. The price of collectible NFTs has dropped by 90% and the price of regular NFTs has dropped by 99.99%.
Prices for some of the most popular NFT collections have dropped significantly recently. For example, Bored Ape Yacht Club's (BAYC) minimum cost has fallen by 20% in the last 30 days, indicating a potential decline in demand for these assets.
However, some NFT projects, including Pudgy Penguins, are seeking to maintain interest in their tokens by releasing additional sets, games, or even physical merchandise. Therefore, the future of Pudgy Penguins may look very bright for long-term holders.