The NFT industry is dominated by three main collections: CryptoPunks, Bored Apes and Pudgy Penguins – but, with ever-rising mainstream prominence, should a fourth join their hallowed ranks?
That NFT collection is Doodles.
This cohort of 10,000 colourful characters have turned from a blockchain-based art experiment into one of the leading new-age entertainment brands – but what are they, what should you know about them, and how did they grow into what they are today?
Master the topic, as we explain the past, present and future of Doodles in 2024.
What is Doodles?
Doodles is a collection of 10,000 vibrant NFT characters. Drawn by co-founder Burnt Toast, each Doodle features a combination of traits, ranging from hairstyles and clothing to accessories and more. Upon launch, Doodles quickly gained popularity for their distinctive style, presentation, and leadership.
The Doodles collection start with three creative minds:
- Evan Keast (Tulip): A marketing and product expert. Formerly worked on CryptoKitties at Dapper Labs.
- Jordan Castro (Poopie): A blockchain expert. Also contributed to CryptoKitties.
- Scott Martin (Burnt Toast): An illustrator and animator, who has worked with the likes of Google, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.
Doodles have since expanded their brain’s trust. In 2022, they brought in Julian Holguin, former President of Billboard, as CEO of Doodles. Later that same year, they announced Pharrell Williams as Chief Brand Officer.
Having started as NFTs, Doodles have now expanded into music, animation, physical products and more, with a long-list of partnerships and references with the likes of Adidas, The Simpsons and more. All of this has led Doodles to become one of the most well-known NFT collections in the world.
The history of Doodles
The Doodles collection minted on October 17, 2021, with each NFT sold at a price of 0.123 ETH. The collection sold out quickly, with collectors drawn not just to the unique art style, but also to Doodles’ transparency, communication, and community engagement.
Follow the success of this initial mint Doodles introduced an array of new collections:
- Space Doodles: The official companion collection to Doodles. Allows holders to take their Doodles into space to engage with a selection of digital experiences.
- Dooplicator: A tool launched in summer 2022 that allows holders to create wearable items from the clothing on their original Doodles NFTs.
- Genesis Box: An NFT lootbox released in June 2022, featuring equippable wearable items for Doodles avatars.
June 2022 saw Pharrell Williams appointment as Chief Brand Officer, announced at their Genesis Factory event in New York City. Pharrell’s involvement drove much coverage across both web3 and web2, and was quickly following by collaborations with multiple music, fashion and entertainment brands.
January 2023 saw Doodles acquire award-winning animation studio Golden Wolf, utilising their talent to drive and amplify their storytelling, content creation and animation ventures.
April 2023 marked the debut of ‘The Stoodio”, an angagement platform on the Flow blockchain. The platform hosts Doodles 2, a free-to-join platform that allows anyone to create their unique Doodles character and equip it with a range of in-house and branded digital wearables.
July 2023 saw the introduction of the Inkubator, a platform set up to spotlight and support community-driven initiatives with funding and assistance from the newly-formed Community Council.
Doodles collaborated with CAMP for their next in-person pop-up in August 2023 – a fantasy-esque 3,500ft real-world Doodles experience in Chicago.
Late 2023 to early 2024 saw a flurry of partnerships – including Crocs, Casio G-SHOCK, Adidas and AriZona – and fresh initiatives – with Castro releasing the $POOP token, the creation of record label Doodles Records, and the announcement of animated short Dullsville and the Doodleverse, featuring Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne, and Coi Leray.
Dullsville and the Doodleverse would premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, capturing mainstream media coverage around the world.
Alongside this progress, Doodles has faced some setbacks.
Castro drew criticism in March 2023 for stating that Doodles was “no longer an NFT project”, causing concerns that web3 didn’t factor into their long-term plans. Since then, Doodles appears to have strengthened its ties to web3 – much the same way as collections such as Bored Apes and Pudgy Penguins have done.
What’s next for Doodles?
Doodles has laid out extensive plans to expand their brand across both web2 and web3.
Following the success of Dullsville and the Doodleverse, Doodles is doubling-down on animation, with Golden Wolf and Burnt Toast set to produce additional animated content. This will likely revolve around DoodlesTV, their recently-released online pay-per-view platform.
On the web3 front, Doodles is shifting Doodles 2 to the Base blockchain to improve usability, scalability and costs. The plan is for Doodles 2 to become the primary entrance point for mainstream audiences to engage with the Doodles brand.
With the success of their previous collaborations, and now with fresh eyes upon them, we can expect many more collaborations on the way. These are likely to be similar to the 2023 release of the Pharrell Pack – a collaboration between Pharrell and Adidas for a line of digital wearables.
In 3 years, Doodles have turned blockchain-based success into worldwide media coverage, and an entertainment brand that’s ready and able to take on the world. Its popularity across both web2 and web3 circles is something that is very rarely seen, and should certainly be commended.
As Doodles looks ahead to 2025, their path to becoming a true entertainment icon looks ready for them to take. Should their prolific rise continue, we’re sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about them in future.
Riding crypto waves since 2012, bridging digital and physical worlds through prose.