By this point, we all know about the ‘pfp’ (profile pic) NFTs. Bored Apes, Azuki, Cool Cats. Animals, aliens, anime characters, blah blah blah. But what about companions and compliments to a pfp NFT? Though this is more aesthetically driven, it’s nice to see innovation from the design and visual layer appear from the fixed constraint of pfp real estate.
Here’s what I’m seeing:
Companions
CryptoRayRays - This is a project from DOS, a buddy of mine building in Web3. He created a project inspired by his dog, Ray, as a way to learn how to build a NFT project soup to nuts. Because of the IRL connection and indisputable fact that dogs are man’s best friend, this is a feel-good project that anyone can get behind.
The real Ray with a fan!
The RayRays
The community is so strong that there is merch and countless Tweets from RayRay holders with their dogs.
GM 💜 We got our @cryptorayrays shirt 🥹someone wanted to be a fan girl 🐕 We love RayRay hehe 💖🤗
This 10k collection can be a pfp, but is used moreso as a companion to whatever pfp you might have. This was the first time I heard about such a concept, which I find to be brilliant. DOS made it easy to generate the companion pfp through a nifty tool on the website.
Wearing the McDonald’s uniform because that’s where I’ll be working if the market continues to go down.
In fact, you could actually use it for other NFTs if you want 😂
Cool Pets - The second collection stemming from Cool Cats, Cool Pets are integral to the Cooltopia universe that the project is building.
These companions are not just a visual companion, but a core part of the Cool Cats ecosystem.
On the visual front, Cool Pets work great as a pfp. However, knowing the NFT community, the creativity doesn’t stop there.
Utilizing items in the game as a ‘companion’:
Fusing Cool Cat traits with Cool Pet traits:
Different placements between the Cool Cat and Cool Pet:
From a functional standpoint, Cool Pets are the primary participants in the Cooltopia universe. Currently, you can go questing with them to earn $MILK. In the future, there will be housing, boss quests, battling and more. This is starting to look like a cross between Pokemon, Neopets, and Animal Crossing…🤔
BEANZ - I’ve already gone over the brilliance and controversy of Azuki. However, we’re here to talk about companions. Since I last wrote about Beanz, it seems like the Azuki community has started to warm up to these little fellas.
Keeks (She/Her) 😚🦋✨ @its_kiki_hehe
Okay, but.. @AzukiOfficial Bean Pocketz 🥺🙏
I’d like to introduce DaStormy Beanz Squad @AzukiOfficial #BEANZ
The perfect companion doesnt exi.... 🔥🐼 ⚡️🐈 💧🐸 🪨🦥 @AzukiOfficial #BEANZ
We’ll see what happens with the BEANZ, but it’s clear that there will be many opportunities to flesh out the lore and brand of this companion collection.
Compliments
Similar to companions, compliments are more ‘interoperable’. For example, you could pair you BEANZ with a Cool Cat, but it makes less sense logically and aesthetically.
Monster Suit NFT - I’ll let my tweet do the talking.
Though the project hasn’t seen as much success from a price action standpoint, I believe the visual ‘wrapper’ is an interesting concept that I hope projects continue to explore more.
Vinnie Hager - His ‘Letters’ collection has taken on a different role in pfps as a great background, regardless of what is in the foreground.
And as a result, practically anything can be a canvas for Vinnie Hager’s style.
Boooolish on @VinnieHager 💌✨ Wen @MuseumModernArt 👀✌️
@iJmillz @DeezeFi @VinnieHager Gang gang
chillin with my vinnie hager t shirt, my vinnie hager postcard, and my vinnie hager broccoli
The versatility of Vinnie Hager’s art is also flexible from a collaborative standpoint.
This was posted on 4/1, so…April Fool’s joke? Maybe, maybe not. 🤷♂️
So What?
So we can agree that these companion/compliment NFTs allow for more visual versatility in the space, but what gives? Why does this matter?
Interoperability - This is a term that is used in the space for different Web3 protocols (aka the technical side of things), but you can see a visual version of that happening as well. Whether it’s a companion NFT like CryptoRayRays or a Vinnie Hager artwork, these are interoperable in their own right and can lead to more visual innovation.
Utility - These NFTs visually function as companions or compliments, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t operate on their own or have some sort of utility.
Having a Cool Pets allows you to interact in Cooltopia, not Cool Pets. DOS has hinted that holding CryptoRayRays would result in Allowlist access to the MetaPeeps project launching later this year.
Partnerships - Circling back to the BEANZ x Hello Kitty example, having different collections under the same brand allows for additional versatility from a brand-building standpoint. BEANZ could partner with Sanrio while Azuki could partner with Supreme.
I’m excited to see what other companion and compliment NFTs come into the space, there may be an underestimated opportunity here.
🚨 ON A SEPARATE NOTE 🚨 Fashion Web3 Corner lol. I can’t get away from this corner of Web3, it keeps finding me! How much more do I need to write about ‘Fashion3’ until I get sponsored? 😏
Continuing along with my LVMH updates, guess who just bought a Bored Ape?
Alex’s brother, Frédéric, is publicly joining the NFT party. What brand is he in charge of within LVMH?
Wait, didn’t Tag Heu— Yep, they just announced they would accept crypto payments.
Joined 2012, wow he must tweet a lot. Nope, he literally only had one tweet…
…until earlier this year. What was he (re)tweeting about? I think you know by now.
RTFKT x Louis Vuitton? Who knows, but the thought gives me the goosies.
See you tomorrow folks :)
