TL;DR
Doodles is an OG PFP collection dating back to October 2021. Considered a higher tier NFT project, it has kept the original PFPs at its core while changing course to become a media and entertainment firm. This pivot means some long-anticipated developments are happening now or in the near-future, including the releases of an animated film, a soundtrack EP, a Super Pass NFT related to the incoming Doodles TV media platform, and additionally, a component of the ecosystem called Doodles Stoodio is migrating to the Base Layer-2 blockchain.
Back in 2023, Doodles co-founder Jordan Castro caused a stir when he declared, “we are no longer an NFT project.” He quickly clarified that Doodles was not leaving NFTs behind, and what he meant was that it was “not just an NFT project”.
Since then, Doodles–which might now be classed as a Web3 entertainment company based around an OG NFT drop–has been expanding non-stop, and there have been plenty of recent developments getting loyal holders fired up, so let’s take a look at where Doodles is heading, and consider what this means for the value of the pastel-painted PFPs that first kicked off the journey.
Moving From Flow to Base
Back in 2023, Doodles started setting up Doodles Stoodio, a platform for creating customizable avatars, including various wearables and collectible items (all in the form of NFTs). Initially, the Stoodio was built on the Flow blockchain–also home to NBA Top Shot, NFL All Day, and UFC Strike–but it’s now migrating to Ethereum Layer-2 Base.
The switch over process has no end date, and gas fees are all covered by Doodles, meaning users can transfer Stoodio NFTs across at their own leisure and at no cost.
Base–which was created by Coinbase and launched on mainnet in August 2023–has shown major growth this year, and is at the forefront of the consumer crypto trend, which is all about making crypto and Web3 easily accessible and user-friendly, so the move makes sense for a project like Doodles that is focused on media and entertainment.
An open edition NFT to commemorate the move was also launched and can be minted over on NFT-focused Web3 platform Zora.
Doodles TV Super Pass
Another item that can currently be minted is a new Doodles utility NFT called the Doodles TV Super Pass (Season 1). This is related to Doodles TV, which was announced in July and is an incoming new Doodles content creation and media platform, and the Super Pass NFT unlocks the following benefits:
- Early access to three new Pharrell Williams-produced music videos (Pharrell has been involved with Doodles since June 2022, officially in the role of Chief Brand Officer).
- Early viewing access for upcoming animated film Dullsville and the Doodleverse (more on that below).
- Four new pieces of yet-to-be released, music-related onchain artwork, each by a different (currently unannounced) artist.
Dullsville & the Doodleverse
At the center of a lot of the recent Doodles hype is an upcoming animated film called Dullsville and the Doodleverse. This has been produced with animation studio Golden Wolf, which was acquired by Doodles in 2023 and brings a wealth of top level industry experience having worked with companies including Disney, Nike and Adult Swim.
Last month saw the release of a Dullsville and the Doodleverse trailer showing that Doodles’ characteristic design style has been translated across directly into the film, which makes sense since it’s directed by the original Doodles PFP creator Burnt Toast.
The film is now lined up for a September 7th premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, after which it’s set for a wider global release, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it’s received by audiences outside the NFT bubble.
Doodles Records
Along with the Dullsville and the Doodleverse film, Doodles TV is also releasing an accompanying soundtrack EP. It features three songs that are all, as mentioned, produced by Pharrell Williams, and the other artists involved are Lil Wayne, Swae Lee, Lil Yachty, Kyle Richh, and Coi Leray.
Clearly, Doodles is not cutting corners when it comes to the musical side of the media enterprise, as these are all huge names and the release is happening in collaboration with Sony Music and distribution company The Orchard. This shouldn’t come as a surprise though, as Doodles CEO Julian Holguin–who joined the project in 2022–was, before his time at Doodles, president of the major music and entertainment magazine Billboard.
Doodles OG NFTs
Amid everything happening around Doodles–spanning film, music, and also previous physical merchandise collaborations with brands including G Shock and Crocs–it’s easy to forget that this all began back in 2021 with a collection of 10,000 love-em-or-hate-em brightly-colored PFPs.
Doodles soared during that first wave of NFT euphoria, establishing upper tier PFP status alongside the likes of Bored Ape Yacht Club and Azuki, before subsequently changing course towards evolving into a media platform, so what does that shift mean for those early NFTs, the OG PFP collection?
Regarding the upcoming Dullsville and the Doodleverse film, owning an original Doodles PFP will grant access to the premiere, so it looks like the founding collection remains the highest level of Doodles asset and will continue to provide benefits to holders. That said though, the soundtrack-related artwork releases are exclusive to the new Pass NFT holders, so it looks like PFPs don’t provide unlimited access to everything.
As for prices, Doodles hit an all-time high floor price of around 20 ETH back in May 2022, having minted for just 0.123 ETH in October 2021 (don’t forget how insanely bullish the NFT market was at that time), and the collection now trades from around 1.8 ETH. That’s a big drop from the highs, but at the same time, it’s still a substantial outlay, the PFPs look currently to have settled at around that price, and Doodles is proving resilient while delivering on long-term goals.
