Pudgy Penguins, one of the most popular NFT collections in Web3, is stirring up excitement with the announcement that its real-life Pudgy Toys are debuting at 2,000 Walmart stores across the United States.
Though the toys have been available online since May, they’re now hitting shelves and will be holding space alongside legacy consumer brands. Considering Walmart is the biggest retailer in the U.S. and 90% of Americans live within ten miles of a store, the move by Web3’s most adorable NFT collection is a big deal.
The Web3 community reacted by sending the floor price of Pudgy Penguins NFTs soaring. Over the last 24-hours, Pudgy Penguins NFTs were up a whopping 320% on OpenSea and are holding down the top spot for 24-hour sales volume, at the time of writing.
Unsurprisingly, the toys aren’t just physical objects. They also provide access to Pudgy Penguin’s metaverse ’Pudgy World,’ a virtual social and gaming world hosted on zkSync Era’s layer-2 blockchain. Each toy possesses a unique ‘birth certificate’ linked to an NFT character called ‘Forever Pudgy,’ and by scanning a QR code on their IRL toy, holders can claim unique traits for their characters and use it inside the metaverse.
Luca Netz, the CEO of Pudgy Penguins, said that Walmart’s inclusion of Pudgy Toys in its U.S. stores is revealing “the evolution of how consumers“ form relationships “with brands in the digital era.” Brittany Smith, the VP of merchandising – toys at Walmart U.S., added that Pudgy Penguins was “bridging the gap between our“ digital and physical worlds.
According to the news, sixteen varieties of Pudgy Toys ranging from $2.99-$11.97 will be carried. The toys were created by PMI Kids’ World, a company that creates toys based on IP from some of the most popular cartoons and kids’ shows.
Perhaps most notable, holders of the Pudgy Penguins NFTs that have been made into physical toys will receive a percentage of royalties from sales. This sort of monetary collaboration between a brand and its community is unprecedented, and is only possible in Web3.
Pudgy Penguins May be the Web3 Brand to Watch
While many NFT collections and Web3 studios have had a tough time during the bear market, Pudgy Penguins has continued to build its brand. According to data, the company has brought in $400 million in sales since it launched in 2021.
But perhaps more notable than sales numbers is the fact the collection has been working hard to move beyond Web3. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered some of the top stories from the family friendly NFT collection. Here are the top three.
First, last month, Pudgy Penguins introduced Igloo, a new IRL clothing line that uses the collections’ IP on clothing. The clothing line contains a variety of clothes, such as hoodies, hats, shirts, and pants, with prices ranging from $45 to $120.
Next, four months ago, Pudgy Penguins debuted its Pudgy Penguin toys at some of the most known retail specialty stores around the world. With the move, the toys became the first mass-market product licensed by a Web3 community.
Finally, five months ago, Pudgy Penguins announced it had raised $9 million from a seed funding round. The collection said it planned to use the money to scale its IP offerings and work to become a brand that can introduce Web3 to the public.
While some Web3 companies continue to create digital products like NFTs and metaverse activations, Pudgy Penguins has been bringing its IP into the real world. From the looks of things, its strategy is starting to pay off. At Rarity Sniper, we’ll keep you updated on any developments in the story.