Photos. Videos. GIFs. Stickers. Podcasts. Blogs. Articles. Webinars. Infographics. White-Papers.
There are so many different forms of content that exist in the 21st century, spread across countless industries.
What we are familiar with stems from established means: law, real estate, medicine, education, agriculture, the internet.
However, a new player has entered the game: the blockchain.
By being part of the crypto space in 2024, you are witnessing the birth, evolution, and integration of IP (intellectual property) and blockchain tech, as it begins to infiltrate the traditional systems we know today.
Doodles, Claynosaurz, Azuki, Pudgy Penguins. I call them the IP-Vengers.
Born through the world of crypto, these four NFT projects have managed to turn themselves into revenue-generating brands, reaching audiences worldwide through their playful, adventurous, and colorful content.
In this article, we will do a recap of who these brands are, explore the testimonies of creative leaders at work, and examine the paths they are taking through animation, partnerships, blockchain tech, and activations.
It's time to lock in.
PSA: Before I begin, I want to clarify that I have closer connections with some of the brands, teams, and communities than others. If you notice any imbalance in the information across the four brands, it’s simply because I have more familiarity with certain ecosystems. That said, because this is a case study, I will try to stay as impartial and knowledgable as I can.
Analyzing the IP-Vengers
The four brands we are learning more about are truly leaving a historic digital footprint in the crypto scene. Let's walk through their backstories and explore their strategies for reaching a loyal fanbase across the world.
Doodles
By creating a colorful world, Doodles started as a collection of 10,000 NFTs minted on the Ethereum blockchain.
The brand has now evolved into a cutting-edge transmedia company dedicated to crafting interactive storytelling through innovative live + digital experiences and curated novel entertainment.
Doodles' vision is to inspire you to connect with your inner-child. To show you that you can do anything through the power of imagination. To raise the bar of what it means to tell a story.
Doodles doesn't want to be Disney, they aim to surpass it. Through the power of the blockchain, there is a mission to further unlock the hybrid interaction between what you experience IRL and digitally.
Doodles was founded by Evan Keast (Tulip) and Jordan Castro (Poopie).
Except there was one more. The dood behind it all, Burnt Toast.
Illustrator, Brand & Graphic Designer, Animator. He does it all.
Originally from Ontario, Scott Martin is the main artist and the third co-founder of Doodles. His previous work as an extremely talented freelancer allowed him to work with many companies like Google, Snapchat, Facebook, WhatsApp, DropBox, Samsung, et al., as well as building a massive following on Instagram with over 300K followers.
Furthermore, the legendary creative has even expanded into the fine art scene, with his first gallery show selling out at an average of $30K per piece.
Through Doodles, Scott's unique art style and attractive color palette are rapidly gaining widespread attention, serving as a catalyst for a groundbreaking artistic movement unlike anything the world has seen before.
One of the biggest IP moves in the crypto space, Golden Wolf.
In 2022, Doodles announced their acquisition of Golden Wolf, an Emmy award winning animation studio. With a decade long experience under their belt, Golden Wolf has created content for brand such as Netflix, SuperCell, Coca-Cola, and even Adult Swim's Rick and Morty.
Hit after hit, Doodles continues to make moves to integrate their IP into cross-platform storytelling. Keep an eye out on this one, it's something you don't want to miss.
Azuki
Known as the "Skaters of the Internet", Azuki is a collection of 10,000 NFTs that minted on the Ethereum blockchain.
Currently the largest decentralized anime brand, Azuki is building out their own IP and lore while simultaneously allowing the community to participate in the process, including examples such as: community-led events, videography, art commissions, blogs, partnerships, and even co-creation through the use of the IP that holders of the Azuki tokens personally own.
Azuki's vision is to build the future of anime by harnessing the power of community and blockchain technology.
Through the use of the anime industry which is rapidly growing in today's era, there are many variables that this brand can use to onboard enthusiasts onchain. Azuki's style is a hybrid of Samurai Champloo and Cowboy BeBop, which is extremely appealing to those who are truly cultured in the ways of anime.
Chiru Labs, the parent company behind Azuki and its ecosystem, was co-founded by Zagabond, 2PMFlow, Hoshiboy, and Location TBA.
But wait, there's one more individual that made Azuki that much more impactful: Steamboy.
Originating from Ontario, Arnold Tsang, Art Director and the fifth co-founder, used his professional experience in artistry to create anime characters in a profile picture style with 469 traits across 13 trait categories for the Azuki project.
Tsang has achieved many things in his career, some of which include previously co-founding UDON Entertainment, being an Art Director at Blizzard Entertainment for over a decade, and now building his legacy through Azuki. The legendary concept artist worked on many games, some of which include: Darkstalkers: Chaos Tower, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Overwatch, Overwatch 2, and Project Titan.
Through their stacked team, their strategic partnerships, and a fireball of a community, Azuki is not one you want to mess with.
Claynosaurz
Diving into a primitive world, Claynosaurz is a collection of 10,222 3D animated NFTs that minted on the Solana blockchain.
Playing by different rules, Claynosaurz managed to successfully mint their collection on a completely separate blockchain, in the heart of the bear market when many other projects who raised plenty of money gave up and walked away from their original visions. With pure passion and perseverance, Claynosaurz spent the next couple of years heads down building the legacy that we see today.
The mission of Claynosaurz is to focus on building fresh and innovative experiences through their characters and lore, shaping the future of entertainment.
With a diverse group of artists and animators, they strive to complete their mission through curated concept art and proper art direction. Each member on the team specializes in a specific department, eventually adding their work to a beautiful, final piece.
Like Doodles and Azuki, Claynosaurz also prioritizes community and what it means to own your Clayno, expanding into different sectors to push their IP. The framework in which Claynosaurz is experimenting in allows them to elevate their creativity to a level never seen before.
Through the power of the crypto industry, Claynosaurz are slowly and organically taking destiny into their own hands of becoming a transmedia brand. Why start in the traditional space of animation when you can spearhead the next generation of entertainment, support and collaborate with artists, and be a soundboard for other entities interested in learning more about the crypto space?
Don't fade these cute clay dinos, because soon enough they will have an empire of their own.
Pudgy Penguins
I am my Penguin, and my Penguin is me.
Home of the Huddle, Pudgy Penguins is a collection of 10,000 cute pengus minted on the Ethereum blockchain.
Rather than covertly onboarding the masses to crypto, Pudgy Penguins desire for the world to understand how forward-facing they are with the industry. With mentions of web3, blockchain, NFT, and an integrated digital collectible marketplace all on their website, the Pudgies are not ashamed of showing their true colors. Rather, they are focused on building a frosty world to reach the masses and let them know that being part of crypto is cool.
Pudgy Penguins' vision is to revolutionize the crypto space as we know it today. Through the power of community, Pudgies aim to share their IP with their holders and become the fastest growing crypto-native brand in the world; one that will appeal to both natives and traditional audiences.
Pudgies are laser-focused on the toy market, aiming to infiltrate traditional industries through strategic retail partnerships. At the same time, they offer Pudgy Penguins NFT holders the opportunity to license their digital identities, unlocking potential revenue streams.
Taking a page out of the same playbook as older toy brands such as Webkinz, Pudgy Penguins have connected their toys to Pudgy World, a Club Penguin-style online gaming platform with blockchain inoperability.
The gold-furred penguin who rebuilt the Igloo: Luca Netz.
A rebound that not many thought was possible, because it was never done before — until now.
Pudgy Penguins was a dying ecosystem until Luca Schnetzler, a young self-made millionaire and entrepreneur, won a bid war on Pudgy Penguins for $2.5 million.
Through his experience in e-commerce and digital marketing, Netz played a pivotal role in not only reviving the brand, but evolving it into a full-on IP kingdom, targeting the entertainment and merchandising industries.
Through the acquisition of the Abstract Chain, Luca and the team have their pudgy fins set on consumer crypto: giving people a reason to use onchain technology that could replace traditional methods.
With one of the strongest communities and some of the brightest minds in the crypto space, Pudgy Penguins is not one that you'll want to ignore.
Testimonies
Chief Content Officer. Head of Socials & Content. Director of Content Strategy.
Many different titles that ultimately have the same meaning: the one in charge of everything related to content creation and curation.
The short and long-form content you now see today across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms is spearheaded by these particular individuals.
I'm honored to have them featured in this article, as they share their story of who they are and provide their insight of how things are done within their own brands.
Learn more by clicking on each arrow.
Ingi (Doodles)
I’ve been creating internet-native content in various forms since around 2002.
In 2003 I co-founded a graffiti website, HurtYouBad. I used it as a creative playground and each update, which contained graffiti from around the UK, would have a bespoke design and sometimes even animation and audio. It was a way for me to teach myself various programming languages and softwares, which laid the foundation for my obsession with the convergence of creativity and technology and everything I’ve done since then.
In 2006 I joined a small design agency called ilovedust, which I helped grow to one of the most prominent design agencies in the world, with clients like Nike, Red Bull and Apple. I launched a new office for the agency in London, dedicated to animation, which would lead to the birth of the animation studio that I founded, Golden Wolf, in 2013.
With Golden Wolf I’ve worked on practically every type of creative project, with some of the biggest brands in the world, with highlights including the opening titles to the revamp of Disney’s Ducktales and Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls, launching Air Max Day with Nike and creating a 60-second segment for Netflix’s The Monkey King, which went on to becoming the most watched film globally the month it was released.
Golden Wolf’s mission has always been to create short form content that entertains audiences and makes them want to watch on repeat, even if they’re being advertised to. My motto is that if you expect someone to lend you their attention, then you should give them something in return (e.g. dopamine). This approach has led us to creating several mega-viral spots over the years, with one of our gifs having nearly 2 billion views on Giphy and the series of cinematics we created for Brawl Stars has been watched nearly 750 million times on YouTube.
My role has changed and evolved over the years, from designer and animator to director and eventually CEO at Golden Wolf, until Doodles acquired the studio in 2023, when I became the Chief Content Officer there.
My role at Doodles focuses on overseeing the development of the Doodles lore and bringing world-class content to the world, in a way that sustains attention and fosters affinity for the storytelling universe. Alongside our world-class team, we’ve created over 150 animated spots, 3 music videos and a 20 minute animated special in less than 18 months, growing Doodles’ social media audience to over 1.1m followers.
The creative content we make here at Doodles has an ever-growing team behind it, with myself, Burnt Toast and Sammy leading the charge from a creative standpoint. We have daily catch ups with our production management counterparts, Dotti and Rebekah, where we align on strategy across all our ongoing projects, evaluating briefs, input and requirements from our colleagues at Doodles.
Every endeavor has a slightly different approach, but we can use the short-form content as an example:
Ideation process: Once a month we have a writer’s room day where I work with our creatives to form a brief based on things like past performance, trends and observations. From this we generally end up with 10-20 ideas, which myself and Burnt Toast will evaluate, give notes on and approve or turn down.
Production process: The production process is similar to most animation pipelines and starts with designing “style frames” for the key parts of each animated short, followed by a rough animation (based on a loose storyboard from the writer’s room concepts), followed by clean animation and finally compositing. Once each spot is close to being finished, we hand it over to our partners at Take Your Medicine, who create the soundtrack.
The animated special had a much more complex process and we worked with a team of well over 100 people across design, animation, production, voice overs, music and sound design, making it not only Doodles’ biggest and most ambitious project to date, but also Golden Wolf’s.
Feb Tea (Azuki)
Anime is growing fast. Standing at $30Bn in size with double digit annual growth, the once niche medium is quickly becoming mainstream.
As the head of content at Azuki, I had the honor to have produced anime content ranging from animated shorts, to lore pages, to anime anthologies, mini shorts, and tons of future initiatives. In the process, I was lucky to have experienced the anime industry in a front seat role.
Building anime in the web3 space presents unique challenges and opportunities. It is about balancing a new technology with the traditional anime production model, which hasn’t seen major changes in decades. Anime production is notoriously lengthy & labor intensive, often taking more than three years to complete, making it tough to work with the rapid pace of web3. Additionally, working with holder IPs offers exciting possibilities but also introduces major creative issues. To us, this complexity partly influenced the decision to opt for an anthology series for Azuki.
Bringing web3 into anime production is also fraught with skepticism. The reputation of web3 in the anime industry has been mostly negative. At the same time, the anime industry remains heavily reliant on connections and collaborations that foster talent and produce quality work. Building a talent team in anime is tough, but we had the privilege of working with legends like Taniguchi-san, Kinu-san, the LINE, Yasuda Gensho, and so many more. In many ways, we are still early in the web3 anime journey, but we have built a very strong story foundation & talent pool to bring Azuki IP to the masses.
Ultimately, the potential of web3 to revolutionize anime production is undeniable. As Taniguchi-san has mentioned in his interview, industry veterans are actively exploring how web3 can level-up fan engagement, production, and distribution for anime as a whole. Taking Enter the Garden Ep.1, the Waiting Man as an example, we were able to build a dynamic billboard experience for all Azuki holders, and launched a minting experience on Zora, where all proceeds go back to the creative team.
At Azuki, we deeply believe that we are at an inflection point to build the next phase of anime, a more engaging fan experience, new original IPs, a better production model, all powered by web3. Slowly, then all at once.
Cab (Claynosaurz)
I started my career as an animator at Sony Pictures Animation (where they made Hotel Transylvania, Surf’s Up, Angry Birds movies, and Spider-Verses) and eventually transitioned to creature-type work. Over time I became an Animation Supervisor, overseeing how the digital creatures for film & tv would move and come to life, and managing the teams of animators and acting as a liaison for the productions or directors to bring their vision to life. I’ve been involved on projects like Game of Thrones, Paddington 2, Fantastic Beasts franchise, His Dark Materials, Suicide Squad, for which I was nominated for an Annie Award (sort of like the Emmy for Animation) for excellence in Animation as a lead animator on King Shark! I’ve also been involved in music videos; leading award winning work on Kaytranada’s Lite Spots.
Sounds like a mouthful, I know.
TLDR: I come from an Animation and Storytelling & management background.
So much of that translates back to Claynosaurz and my role here as a co-Creative Director. I help inform the overall direction the Creative & Art teams take, but it extends to many other things like product and vision. REALLY, my job is to give the artists space to do what they do best. But to make sure that everything we do at Claynos feels cohesive. That the direction & tone makes sense. Often times it’s people management and empowering them.
Content is our superpower. And we knew that coming into the space. We knew we could lean on the power of our characters by creating universally relatable stories to bring awareness to our brand. And we establish a dedicated community of superfans along the way. Our goal is to make people fall in love with our characters, and for the content to speak to people on such a deep level visually and narratively that technology does not matter. We entertain. That’s how you onboard.
How do we look at content here? Relatability. A bit of weird. Looseness. We understand you can speak differently to different audiences based on different platforms niches. It’s about being where the audiences are. You allow the fans to customize their own fandom experiences and find their pockets of niche and interact or discover a brand in a way that actually is very intimate with the ways that they interact with different digital playgrounds.
We run a lot ideation sessions with the creative team. We always ask ourselves: “why would somebody share this?” “Who are we speaking to?” We try to avoid too many trends because we want people to love the characters because they relate. We put a ton of thought into “evergreen” content. Content that feels timeless & relatable. You’d be surprised how many ideas we throw out!
We also find ways to leverage the fact that Claynos are dinosaurs. So when we have an idea for a story or Reel, we go think “What is it about the fact that they are dinosaurs that makes this better, funnier, more interesting?” So a lot of times we throw in anatomical limitations or differences that are actually packaged in a super relatable way or make people laugh. There’s a hook.
We try things. A lot. Sometimes it doesn’t work. That’s ok! It helps us better dial-in the right stories that speak to people. We also leverage amazing community ideas as well, and will be doing a lot more of that! We have an open-door policy. Anyone at the company can and should pitch. That’s how you find pockets of magic.
Every time an idea is pitched, we’ll go through a storyboard process. That lets us visualize the scenario. If we’re confident, then we go into 3D production. It allows us to quickly build a catalog of hundreds of stories and remain super flexible—-and FAST.
What’s incredible is web3 has empowered us to leverage socials and flywheel our collectors into those playgrounds. We build GOOD content. We compete at an industry level. Recently, we won 13 Collision Awards for our Instagram content, side by side with Pixar and Disney! That’s insane!! But we’re able to do that through community loops and we can take more risks than legacy brands.
This year, our goal with content is to start conditioning audiences to understand key characters and story points. To recognize patterns. But we also have plans to seriously leverage the community “Claynos” and feature our collectors in content as much as we can. It’s about finding the right balance!
It’s gonna be a wild year.
Peter (Pudgy Penguins)
Before acquiring Pudgy Penguins, I founded Bureaux—a creative design and technology studio specializing in web experiences, branding, visual design, and creative strategy. We later evolved into a venture studio, helping incubate and accelerate growth for brands in consumer goods, fintech, and crypto.
Our content strategy has evolved over the past year through exploration, development, and iteration. We've established a signature theme centered on relationship humor featuring cute penguins.
We research relatable topics and everyday experiences, condensing them into short story arcs. Our process involves collaboration among artists, animators, and social strategists to create the desired reaction for each video. Every video is optimized for relatability and shareability to increase our top of funnel exposure.
The Process of Content Creation
When it comes to the content creation process, there's a lot of similarities, but not every company / brand does things the same way.
Every article you'll come across has their own secret recipe of showing you how they do things.
Since this is my article, I'll make this simple by showing you how I would do it.
There are 4 steps to executing content:
💡 Ideation: The first phase.
Audience. What demographic are you targeting? Are they children, teenagers, young adults, elderly? Or a combination of all ages?
Competition. Do a deep dive on who you're competing against. Who are they, what are they creating, and how can
youdo it better?Research. What type of content are you looking to create? Is it based off recent trends or is it organic? What emotions do you want the audience to feel?
Pudgy Penguins create PudgyKindness on TikTok, an initiative targeting a younger audience to spread IP awareness. Pudgies donate large tips to struggling Twitch streamers after they share their story, post their reaction, and create incentives for the audience to support the streamers. Strategy. What is the game plan of the goals you want to achieve? What channels will the content be published to? How often do you plan on posting?
Brainstorm. This is your conclusion, combine them together. You have your target audience, you understand your competition, you know what style of content you want to create, and you understand your plan of action to achieve certain expectations set.
🖌 Creation: The second phase.
Calendar. All of the strategizing you did for your game plan, transfer that information to your calendar. Having a content calendar is crucial because it allows the team to stay timely and organized, as well as have a resource to fall back on.
Outline. Sketch out the wording & illustrations of the content on a whiteboard.
Example of a storyboard on animated short-form content by Claynosaurz. Write & Design. This is where you go full-force. Headers / Sub-Headers? Script? Background Music? Effects? Lighting? Add them all.
🗒 Revision: The third phase.
Draft. Formulate multiple versions as you begin to refine and polish up your masterpiece.
Final Review. Ensure there are no mistakes, the tone is consistent, the message is clear, everything is fact-checked, and SEO is optimized.
📲 Publication: The last phase.
Upload. HIT THE BUTTON AND SEND IT TO THE INTERNET.
Distribution. Share the content through all of the appropriate channels like emails & newsletters.
Promotion. Not necessary, but if needed, allow for paid advertising to boost your reach.
Feedback. Review the overall sentiment from audiences and see what they liked which can be used for future content creation.
Learn. Strengthen your future content strategy by analyzing the performance data (views, likes, comments, shares, etc.) on your content.
And then you do it all over again. ♻️
Animation: Tug of War? Evergreen vs Trends
Now that you know how content is created, how do you determine the type you want to produce, and how do you effectively balance it with other formats?
This is where we discuss further about the dilemma of organic vs hyped substance.
But before I begin to yap on this topic, let me present a brief definition of what Evergreen is:
🌲 Evergreen: Timeless, search-optimized content that stays fresh and relevant. It naturally resonates across all age groups, maintaining its appeal and effectiveness over time.
As a brand who produces animated short-form content, it's healthy to have a mix of the two styles. So let's talk outweigh the benefits of both.
Evergreen Content
When it comes to timeless content, there are a couple of things that make it stand out:
Emotions: Joy, Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Frustration, Anxiety, Disgust, Surprise, Fear, Envy, Love, Amusement, Boredom. The human soul forms a response based off of something that happened, it's a cause and effect situation.
Share: Is the content you're watching feel relatable? Don't you want to share that content with your family and friends that might also feel the same way? Humans are social beings, we want to share our experiences, emotions, and memories with others.
Trust: If the content makes you feel a certain way and you enjoy sharing it with others, do you think you can trust the creator of that content more?
Trending Content
When it comes to timely content, there are a couple of things that make it stand out:
Hype: With trends, the words, ideas, and memes that are currently buzzing on the internet or in the real world have the potential to absolutely skyrocket the growth of a brand.
Adaptation: Understanding trends means understanding that your content has to have the capability to make changes and stay up to date with everything that's currently going on, to reach the audiences that truly care for that type of stuff.
Data Analytics: By creating content around trends, you get a more clear idea of how the cycle of trends move, better allowing you to prepare for future content that you can leverage its growth.
Ultimately, you as a brand want to have a content portfolio that includes both, seasoned to the maximum. The rule of thumb is to have 80% evergreen and 20% trending.
Partnerships: The Elevation of Brand Awareness
This is one of my favorite parts to talk about, I absolutely love everything about Partnerships. Hell, I even want to be a Partnerships Manager in the future!
Partnerships is one of the greatest ways for a company to align with other entities on the same vision, and create something special + unique to the market.
Let's first address the reasons why Partnerships are important.
Strategic Collabs: Brands that usually collaborate don't work in the same industry. For example, you won't see Nike working with Adidas, but you will see Nike collaborating with Apple. Why? Because they are in a different market. No competitors, hakuna matata.
Sharing Knowledge: At the same time, brands that collaborate can share knowledge with each other because they understand that they will never be competitors. The more knowledge the collaborators know, the better they can understand a different market, and the more robust their teams can be when building a new product.
Access to New Audiences: Partnerships properly and organically set up the stage for brand awareness and allows for a seamless entry for newcomers into a new world.
Power of Trust: As a result, brands help each other boost their reputations through association. This allows audiences who are unfamiliar with certain companies and products have something that bridges the gap.
Cost Efficiency: With the ability of two (or more) brands, all the costs are cheaper as there are multiple entities paying for it.
Networking: With the help of a partnered brand, a door is opened to unfamiliar territory with networks that might not have been as easily accessible if they didn't have that partnership in the first place.
Now, let's take a look at who the IP-Vengers have collaborated with.
Pudgy Penguins Partnerships
Pudgies are shooting a straight arrow towards mass adoption through their toy line. At a low cost, you can purchase a Pudgy Penguin figurine/plushy, scan a QR, and onboard seamlessly into Pudgy World (a partnership with Mystical Gaming), an online multi-player world that allows you to build your own igloo, take on quests, and participate in mini-games.
Because all of the partnerships listed here are in the same industry (retail), I won't go into depth explaining why they strategically chose them. Rather, I'll just show you some fun artwork they cooked up for their announcements.
Pudgy Penguins x Walmart
Pudgy Penguins x Target
Pudgy Penguins x Toys R Us
Pudgy Penguins x Big W
Pudgy Penguins x GameStop
Pudgy Penguins x Amazon
Pudgy Penguins x Lotte
Azuki Partnerships
With a blend of Japanese influence and modern hip-hop culture, Azuki breaks into the anime industry. Primarily targeting an adult demographic, Azuki adds formidable partners to their roster, steadily increasing brand awareness through their IP with these strategic collaborations.
Azuki x Ambush
Azuki x Bybit x Oracle Red Bull Racing
Azuki x BILIBILI
Beanz x IPX
AZUKI x K11 MOONCAKES
AZUKI x MUSEUM OF MAHOMES
Azuki x SATOSHI NAKAMOTO
Beanz x Brown
Claynosaurz Partnerships
As Claynosaurz is the newest brand, they have not announced many partnerships at this time. Rather, they have turned their immediate focus to building out short + long form animation content and gaming. Considering how unique their product is, I am sure we will see more amazing collaborations in the near future.
Claynosaurz x Solana Mobile: The Call of Saga
Claynosaurz x Gameloft
Doodles Partnerships
The crypto space (including myself as a holder) is most familiar with Doodles' partnerships, as they are on a mission to onboard the masses. Through Julian Holguin (CEO at Doodles) and Brandon Rosenblatt (Head of Brand Partnerships at Doodles), they have successfully collaborated with household name brands, inching slowly towards a colorful future.
Doodles Records: Doodles x Columbia Records
Pharrell Pack: Doodles x Adidas x Human Race x Billionaire Boys Club x BBC Ice Cream
Doodles x CAMP
Doodles x Crocs
Doodles x G-Shock
Doodles x MNTGE
Doodles x AriZona
Doodles x Adidas Originals
Layer 2s: Expanding the Horizon
When it comes to IP and the blockchain, the IP-Vengers have entered uncharted waters, trying to figure out the most seamless way to onboard the masses onchain.
As the 3/4 brands were founded and built on the Ethereum blockchain, each of them have decided to take different paths through various means.
Before we analyze the IP-Vengers further (and I don't want to get too techy), we have to ask the question: what is a Layer 2?
Layer 2: A Layer-2 blockchain is a secondary blockchain network that's built on top of a primary blockchain, or Layer-1, to improve its performance and scalability.
Increasing Speed
Maintaining Layer 1 Security
Lowering Transaction Costs
Reducing Network Congestions
Overall Improving User Experience
But let's be real for a second.
The world does not care about the blockchain. They never did, and they never will.
Do you think anyone (besides developers and true enthusiasts) ever pauses and takes a moment to think, "wow! I love the foundations of the internet. Let me discover further." Absolutely not. And why would they? There's nothing attractive or entertaining about it.
But people DO care about search engines, social media, blogs, apps, video platforms, podcasts, etc.
By design, the blockchain is supposed to be hidden technology. And by building IP, content, and a seamless user experience on top of that technology, it's the perfect trojan horse.
So let's hone in on what the IP-Vengers are up to.
Pudgy Penguins: Abstract Chain
Previously known as Frame, Abstract was unexpectedly acquired by Pudgy Penguins' parent company Igloo. Through the strategic collaboration between Luca Netz (CEO at Pudgy Penguins), Cygaar (Head at Abstract), and other rockstars, they aim to build what they believe will be the future of crypto consumerism.
They've established their core pillars as: Community & culture, familiar onboarding experiences, app discoverability, and security & scalability.
The community and culture of Pudgy Penguins is one of the pillars of Abstract's foundation. Their cute and friendly IP meshed with the wonderful supporters, builders, and visionaries will be a major stepping stone to bridge the gap between blockchain tech and mainstream adoption.
Furthermore, they have recently written about their new and upcoming product, the Abstract Global Wallet (AGW).
Unlike other wallets like MetaMask or Backpack, Abstract's crypto wallet:
Will have one-click logins with socials/email, easy 2FA approvals, and capability to fund wallet in seconds.
Will not have a browser extension and will not have any seedphrases.
This is a major improvement in comparison to previous years, where the average person would have dealt with a lot of friction. A seamless and optimized user experience is of utmost importance, and Abstract is hyper-focused on making that reality happen.
TLDR, two words: consumer crypto.
For those who are further interested in Abstract, you can check out the link below.
What is Abstract?
Discover Abstract, a highly scalable and secure Ethereum Layer 2 network focused on delivering a seamless consumer-centric blockchain experience. Built to foster community and culture, Abstract simplifies onboarding, enhances app discoverability, and leverages cutting-edge cryptography for optimal security and scalability.
Doodles: Base
Doodles brings the Stoodio back home to the Ethereum chain, built on Base.
In 2022, Doodles announced that they would build their product (Doodles2 now called the Stoodio) to Flow, a completely separate Layer 1 blockchain.
Doodles' history with Dapper Labs (the company behind Flow) made it a no-brainer decision, as Flow has had previous mass adoption success such as Top Shot and are currently in a partnership with Disney for a new product called Disney Pinnacle.
However, a new era has risen.
It's no surprise that migrating the entire product from Flow to Base is a smart decision, backed and built by the powerhouse Coinbase themselves. Out of any blockchain product in existence, Coinbase as an exchange has had the most success of onboarding the masses into crypto.
So, what is Doodles building on Base?
Let me tell you, collecting onchain never looked or felt more colorful.
Stoodio: Collector's Profile
Doodlesᵗᵛ
Super Pass (S1)
Doodles Premiere Packs
Doodles Certified Viral
Traditional Payment & Cracking Packs
Azuki: Arbitrum
Azuki introduces AnimeChain, a collaboration built by Arbitrum Orbit with the mission to bridge millions of anime fans onchain.
With Azuki's collector profile feature, the community can view their NFT holdings, emblems they've unlocked by achieving certain milestones, and badges they've received through participating in IRL or digital events. This user-friendly standard curates a strong community and drives them to interact with the brand to a new level.
As a result, the Azuki collector profile is a great way to get an idea of who has what. Tying that in with this new game is absolute genius.
Inspired by Azuki's original "arcade" style minting experience, Gacha Grab is a game designed to reward the holders of the Azuki community, while simultaneously allowing your average anime enthusiasts to be a part of the journey.
Here's how it works.
Earn Credits: Holders of the Azuki, Beanz, and Elemental tokens can connect their wallets to the website to begin earning credits. The collection tier will impact the amount of credits you earn per day (E.g. OG Azukis gets 1000 credits, Elementals get 100, etc.). By creating a squad (multi-collection or OGs only), you earn a boost which increases the amount of credits you earn.
Spin to Win: Gacha Grab is a slot machine that allows users to gamble for more credits.
Simply spend 100 credits and press the play button to see what you win.
It's a bit addicting.
Collect Gachapons: The Gachapons have 3 different tiers of rarity: Esteemed, Grand, and Legend.
The last 3 are much more difficult to pull. But the more squads you have and the higher rarity your NFTs are, the higher of chance you will have.
Collect ➜ Play ➜ Get Rewarded.
At the time of this post, the AnimeChain has not released much information on any current or future updates.
Activations: A Physical Experience
Tying your IP and content to in-the-flesh memories is one of the most efficient ways to close the gap between the digital and physical realms.
There is way too many crypto-native events to cover (and my brain is fried from writing so long), so I'm only going to highlight the best ones that I know of.
If I speak about an event that I attended, a separate box highlighted in red will be shown.
Doodles: Ready for Takeoff
Doodles was already on a run when it came to the financial side of the tokens, but what really sent the brand to outer space was the brand awareness and traction they received from their event from SXSW.
A very fun mixture of activities, Doodles holders received a personal badge which contained NFC tech and was tied to a Doodle that they owned. They could scan their badge at certain booths and see their Doodle come to life. The first ever hybrid experience of the digital and physical to that degree.
Additionally, Doodles released a product completely unique to the crypto space called "Space Doodles," in which the owner of a Doodles NFT can swap their original token with a paired soulbound token of the Doodle going to space.
Because of this event, Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit and investor in Doodles) and Julian Holguin (CEO at Doodles) were red-pilled and became a part of the brand as it stands today.
Azuki: Check your Wallets
Known as one of the most legendary moments in NFT history, co-founder and CEO Zagabond unexpectedly announces to holders in a club to check their wallets for an airdrop, which later became known as Beanz.
This unique airdrop completely changed the tides of how certain companies would appeal to their audiences, creating more of an interactive experience.
Doodles: Key(note) to the Future
NFT NYC 2022 was an absolute banger. With over 2000 holders in attendance, Doodles did a couple of things:
Collaborated with Shopify for physical to digital e-commerce via the Genesis Factory.
Created a holders-only lounge where people could hangout, order drinks at the bar, and meet Burnt Toast the artist behind Doodles.
Did a keynote where Julian spoke for the first time as the Doodles CEO live in the flesh, honing on the vision of Doodles' future and dropping some big surprises.
Alexis Ohanian announced his decision to led the raise in Doodles' first investment round along with his VC company, 776. Pharrell Williams announced that he would join Doodles as the Chief Brand Officer and spearhead the music production for the future Doodles Record, in collaboration with Columbia Records.
The team also stated that they would be dropping Doodles2, allowing you to mint and customize avatars + wearables, a cool digital collection that you can flex and even use as your digital identity.
Doodles at NFT NYC '22 was one of the most fun times I had, and it had all the hype (the floor price of the collection was above 20 ETH or $60K).
I remember some of the homies and I would cut in line, just so we didn't wait an extra 2 hours for the Genesis Factory or the Keynote (sorry!).
The amount of amazing, like-minded people that I befriended (some for life) was surreal to me. People that like Doodles, all in the same place.
I was at a party when Doodles made the announcement about dooplicators, a secondary collection claimable by Doodles holders; and I kid you not, it was trading for around $10K at the time of the release.
During the keynote, I remember standing in the front-left near the stage, as I freaked out talking to people and speculating on what announcements were to come. Julian, Poopie, Tulip, Burnt Toast. One by one, each came out on stage, as they spoke about the exciting things they have in store for the brand and the community.
It truly felt like a movie, and I'm proud to call these people my family.
Azuki: Follow the Rabbit
Azuki brought about a mysterious vibe around their event in Vegas, building lots of speculation and hype around the possibilities of the big announcement.
It's important to understand that Azuki's event was completely on their own; there was no crypto conference where people could partake in other activities. There were many different events hosted by the community that members could attend: workshops, brunches, pool parties, morning hikes, etc.
Azuki rented out Hakkasan, the biggest nightclub in Vegas, with 5 stories of different activities the community members and guests could participate in. From the arcade-style claw machines, to an open bars, to the main dance floor and other shenanigans, Azuki dropped an amazing bomb of a trailer officially announcing Elementals while simultaneously re-creating the nostalgic "check your wallets" scenario.
Hakkasan was such a fun experience. From traveling & rooming with an Azuki community member, to exploring the different events set by the community, to watching the Elementals trailer for the first time.
I was able to meet some of the Azuki team for the first time in the flesh, as well as feast and adventure with many of the Azuki holders.
When it comes to crypto-native projects, each tribe has a vibe. And Azuki's "Skaters of the Internet" vibe is exactly a reflection of what you'd see online: anime enthusiasts, hip-hop enjoyers, fashionably dressed, two cool for school type beat. Oh, and definitely some legit skaters in there.
Without a shadow of a doubt, I felt at home with these peeps.
Doodles: Let's Go Golfing!
Doodles tackles on Art Basel Miami '22 with a new, fun concept unique to crypto-IRL activations: mini-golfing.
With a fun unison between OpenSea, Johnnie Walker, and TokenProof, Doodles builds out their biggest event yet. Spending millions of dollars in Westwood, they built out an insane 10,000 square feet immersive putting course, a Shopify store, a VIP holder lounge, a bunker bar by Johnnie Walker, a OpenSea lounge, and a dope DJ stage.
On the course, a challenging and competitive 9th hole awaited you. A hole-in-one won a Doodle!
I had such a fun time at this Doodles activation. After a full day at our own event, the Americana team and I would walk at late night to Doodles' to relax, play some golf, hang out with old and new friends, and just vibe over what we enjoy the most: Doodles.
I remember the ear-to-ear smile on my face as I was completely submerged in the colorful and musical putting experience. One of the women who was playing in our group actually got a hole-in-one and won a Doodles!
At the time, it was surreal seeing Doodles move up the ladder so fast. Mackenzie Keast (Head of Live Events at Doodles) was upping the expectations every time they did an activation.
Claynosaurz: A Pre-historic Assemble
While their events might seem like any other cypto-native one, Claynosaurz has spiced it up by bringing booster packs to the table. Across in person events at NYC, LA, and Paris, over 1600 attendees received booster packs as a party favor.
Through a collaboration with Cupcake Protocol, NFC chips were integrated within each booster pack and connected to a smart contract, which allowed for digital collectibles to be recieved.
Another phenomenal way to blend the physical and digital experiences, each card was redeemable for exclusive digital prizes. These booster packs consisted of a variety of cards with different tiers of rarity, with ranges from items such as pizza and tacos collectibles, to Artifacts and Spraycans.
The Artifacts and Spraycans were collaborations with different artists and Clayno's 3D Creative team, and have only been recently revealed. There are only 10 Spraycans in existence, with also a limited amount of Artifacts as well.
Doodles: Adventuring at CAMP
A giant step for Doodles, and an even greater step for the crypto industry as a whole.
Doodles pulls off a fascinating collaboration with CAMP Stores, an interactive and direct-to-consumer adventure for families. This allowed for a unique blend of physical retail and crypto-native IP, bringing the vibrant world of digital collectibles into a tangible, real-world experience.
The aspect of storytelling is greatly involved at CAMP. The main characters of the Doodles-verse were announced (Hap and Mello) at CAMP, and the audience had the capability to be a part of the story throughout the entire activation.
Furthermore, Doodles was in direct competition with tycoon brands and blew them out of the water. This was a groundbreaking moment, as no one in the crypto industry had gone to these lengths with the use of their IP. A physical experience targeting children is one of the most effective ways to create brand awareness, and Doodles was undoubtedly successful in their efforts to reach a new demographic.
Doodles: Stranded in Japan
Spearheaded by Brandon Rosenblatt (Doodles' Head of Partnerships), Sean Wotherspoon (Designer, Founder at MNTGE), and Uchida Ryunosuke (Head at 2G), Doodles did an unexpected collaboration with 2G Pop Up Store in the Shibuya district, Tokyo.
Doodles dropped a series of limited-edition merchandise, including: 4 1/1 Panels with digital certificates, vinyl figurines co-created with SK Lam, 50 signed Burnt Toast posters, and many smaller goodies.
This thoughtfully crafted collaboration allowed Doodles to connect with a new audience that typically wouldn’t have the opportunity to purchase their merchandise in person. Additionally, it offered global community members the chance to be the first to access exclusive items, making them feel valued and appreciated.
This was one of the craziest things that happened to me.
Near the end of our trip, my cousins and I were stuck in Okinawa due to a Typhoon for almost a week. We were exhausted, missed our international flights, and just wanted to get back to the mainland.
As we entered Tokyo, Doodles abruptly dropped an announcement that they were going to be in Shibuya the next weekend for a limited-edition and in-store only drop. This of course, made me extremely excited to which I responded:
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Of course, you just know I had to be there. At the time I was working at Americana, and I called up my boss to see what I should buy. He told me just get as much as I could and use the company card. Everyone and their mother was sending me messages of things that they wanted me to buy for them. So I grabbed my adidas dufflebag, hopped on a train, and went straight for Parco mall in Shibuya.
@AmericanaNFT is proud to acquire two 1/1s for our vault.
For us, Doodles was special from the beginning.
They brought our team together, and we couldn’t be more honored to be a part of their journey as they disrupt the entertainment world.
After I acquired all the items, I did multiple things:
Walked MILES to find a Japan Post to send the majority of the Americana items to the states, because Japan had a national holiday that weekend.
Purchased a suitcase for the two 1/1s I acquired for Americana, and brought all of my stuff as well as those who requested for specific items. So 3 pieces of luggage total.
Organized everyone's clothes to make sure nothing got put in the wrong boxes, while taking multiple trips to the US Post Office to distribute everything out.
Had a checklist of everyone's venmos or ETH addresses, some people preferred to send money in different ways.
Needless to say, I don't think I'll ever be able to do that again. It was a lot of fun but definitely tolling.
That said, it's moments like these that truly make you feel connected to the brand. Seeing the IP of Doodles in a luxury toy store in Tokyo? Are you kidding me? From the perspective of being early, how is that not one of the coolest things you get to witness?
Dream On
Walt Disney once said:
Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.
And that couldn't be closer to the truth.
What the IP-Vengers are building isn't just for the crypto space, it's for the world who desire a new and unique dream that they can laugh, imagine, and dream in, while simultaneously onboarding them to a system that will inevitably revolutionize the future.
THIS WEEK ALONE WAS THE BIGGEST WEEK FOR CRYPTO-NATIVE IP.
To illustrate my point more clearly, let's recap by addressing the elephants in the room.
Doodles: Walking the Red Pink Carpet
As of this past weekend, Doodles premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for their new film, "Dullsville and the Doodleverse."
Some of the main characters from the film are voiced by celebrities, such as Coi Leray (Deysi), Lil' Wayne (Captain Stoke), and Swae Lee (Thirsty).
This marked a time in history as the most important event in all of crypto-native IP. From musicians, to actors, to executives of the biggest film studios globally, Doodles was shown in front of countless people and shared across many different platforms, while simultaneously being written about in major entertainment news outlets.
Claynosaurz: Spreading their Wings
Claynosaurz form a ground-breaking partnership with Gameloft, one of the biggest mobile developers in the world. This was already mentioned in the partnerships section and there aren't many details about it at the moment, so won't talk about it further (although as a mobile gaming user, I'm over the moon hyped).
Azuki: A New Way to Anime
I was about to publish this article when Azuki all of a sudden dropped the last hit of the week, their acquisition of anime.com. Through a seamless experience of just 3 clicks, users can type in their email, verify with 2FA, and interact with a slot-machine raffle to obtain stickers, along with seeing and hearing fun and colorful effects.
For those who don't know that the website was acquired by a crypto-native company, the data of the stickers are recorded and are saved on a private testnet on AnimeChain (mentioned earlier), where eventually the users will be able to actually own the stickers in the form of digital collectibles. For many anime enthusiasts, this will be their first ever digital collectible, which is a massive breakthrough for the crypto industry.
The main characters and mascots featured on the website are Ayame and Deckey. Ayame is a girl with vibrant, multi-colored hair, while Deckey is a cat with a TV screen for a face, displaying RGB colors.
Chiru Labs' strategy, Full Stack Anime, integrates three key ecosystems—Azuki, AnimeCom, and AnimeChain—into a unified cultural blockchain infrastructure. AnimeCom operates independently, leveraging AnimeChain technology, while Azuki serves as the launch partner for the platform.
WE CAN DEFINITELY SAY THAT WE HAVE BROKEN THE GLASS CEILING.
THE SKY IS NO LONGER THE LIMIT, BECAUSE WE HAVE ENTERED THE COSMOS.
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.
Now that you've completed this case study, what’s your final takeaway? Can you confidently say you're witnessing the emergence of crypto-native IP?
Because I'll conclude for myself: yes I am.
In all honesty, I barely scratched the surface of what these 4 have truly done; and I'm excited to see how what new obstacles they overcome, what dope entities they partner with, and what unique content they create.
Sorry not sorry that this is my longest article ever.
Later.
Great write up. Azuki definitely interests me. I wasn't sure if they were the ones behind the animedotcom purchase, now I know.
After weeks, it’s finally here. Crypto-native IP. How will it change the world? If you enjoyed this article, please be sure to share with your friends / communities and hit that subscribe button! https://paragraph.xyz/@micah/ip
Very excited to check this out!
Appreciate you so much Reid!
Great write up. Azuki definitely interests me. I wasn't sure if they were the ones behind the animedotcom purchase, now I know.
Yeah it’s pretty nuts how fast they moved. That purchase was insane