how NFTs became a global brand and a Web3 “social currency”

In 2021, during the NFT boom, four university students launched a collection of 8,888 digital penguins on Ethereum. In just 19 minutes, the Pudgy Penguins were sold out at 0.03 ETH each. In a few months, the floor price exceeded 2.5 ETH and the project seemed destined to enter the history of PFP.

Then came the crisis: roadmaps not followed, accusations of poor management, and the feeling that Pudgy Penguins could become “yet another failed JPEG.” At the beginning of 2022, the community removed the founders. Was it the end? In reality, it was just the beginning.

Luca Netz and the rebirth of Pudgy Penguins: from NFT collection to multimillion-dollar IP

In April 2022, the entrepreneur Luca Netz purchased the project for about 750 ETH (approximately 2.5 million dollars) and outlined a clear vision: “Transform Pudgy Penguins into the Disney of Web3”. The new team understood that the key was to go beyond NFT speculation and build a true intellectual property (IP) capable of generating real revenue.

The plan was based on three pillars:

• Building a mainstream brand: characters with emotional design, storytelling, and viral social content.
• Physical and digital merchandising: toys, plushies, and licenses in thousands of stores.
• Engage the community: give NFT holders an active role and royalties through the OverpassIP platform.

The result? Over 2 million toys sold in less than two years, more than 13 million dollars in retail revenue, and partnerships with Walmart, Amazon, and Target. Pudgy Penguins has gone from JPEG to pop phenomenon.

A unique business model: NFTs that generate cash flow

The true revolution of the Pudgy Penguins is not just aesthetic, but economic. With OverpassIP, NFT holders can license their penguins for physical products and receive royalties. In practice, the holders become a sort of “shareholders” of the IP.

“NFTs should not live on hype alone. They must create real value. With Pudgy Penguins, we have connected the digital world to retail, and this is just the beginning”

– Luca Netz.

This model has made the Pudgy a unique case study: NFTs that are not limited to speculation, but that have real cash flow linked to the commercial success of the brand.

From Lil Pudgys to Pudgy World: expanding the ecosystem

The evolution did not stop at the plush toys. The team expanded the universe with:

• Lil Pudgys: 22,222 mini penguin NFTs, conceived as a brand extension.
• Animated series and viral memes: the official GIFs on GIPHY have surpassed 50 billion views, more than Hello Kitty and Pokémon.
• Pudgy World: platform that connects physical toys and digital avatars through QR code, bringing the Pudgy into the consumer metaverse.

The mix of storytelling, physical products, and social content has transformed the Pudgy Penguins into a recognizable IP even outside the crypto world.

PENGU: the token as a “social currency”

“`html

In December 2024, PENGU arrived, the official token of the Pudgy Penguins on the Solana blockchain. Initially seen as a memecoin, it was defined by Luca Netz as a “social currency”, a currency designed to fuel interactions, games, and applications in the Pudgy ecosystem.

“`

With over 860,000 total holders on Solana and Abstract Chain, PENGU is today one of the most widespread Web3 tokens. Part of the supply was airdropped to NFT holders and other communities, creating a bridge between different worlds.

NFT in an ETF? A historic turning point

The growth of Pudgy Penguins has opened the door to an unprecedented experiment: a hybrid ETF that includes both the PENGU token (80-95%) and the Pudgy Penguins NFTs (5-15%). The proposal, presented by Canary Capital and supported by Cboe BZX, has already received the acknowledgment of the SEC in July 2025.

If approved, it would be the first ETF to combine tokens and NFTs, opening a new era for traditional finance and Web3.

The power of the community: from the “Huddle” to big brands

Behind the success of the Pudgy is an active and loyal community, nicknamed Huddle. Celebrities like Steph Curry and Alexis Ohanian, along with brands like Coinbase and Animoca Brands, have adopted Pudgy Penguins as profile pictures, pushing the project to a mainstream scale.

The mix of viral memes and organic engagement has made the Pudgy a cultural phenomenon, not just a crypto project.

Why Pudgy Penguins is a case study for the future of NFTs

With OverpassIP, global merchandising, PENGU token, and even an ETF proposal, Pudgy Penguins has demonstrated that NFTs can:

• Create real IPs beyond the hype.
• Generate tangible revenues shared with the community.
• Building bridges between Web3 and the mainstream world.

It is the first project to unite NFT, consumer brand, tokenomics, and traditional finance in a single ecosystem.

Pudgy Penguins is no longer just an NFT collection: it is a living experiment on how Web3, IP, and community can create real and lasting value. With millions of toys sold, a token with hundreds of thousands of holders, and the hypothesis of an ETF, Luca Netz’s penguins are charting a new path for the industry.