Pudgys and Miladys pump even as overall liquidity drops

USD-denominated floor prices for both NFT collections have now gone more than 20x since December 2022

article-image

Pudgy Penguins modified by Blockworks

share


This is a segment from the Empire newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


When Cobie was tweeting about his pyramid-shaped philosophy on building the perfect crypto portfolio — you listened.

Maybe you even saw the benefit of spreading your capital across bitcoin, ether and solana in a 50/35/15 split. Depending on the execution, those strategies would’ve easily paid off during the bull market to date. 

It still probably hurts to know that they’ve been blown out of the water by Milady and Pudgy NFTs.

USD-denominated floor prices for both NFT collections have now gone more than 20x since December 2022.

The cheapest Miladys went for the ETH equivalent of $890 back then — today they go for $22,570. 

At the same time, Pudgys have exploded from $5,070 to $106,900. Floor Pudgys are now technically more expensive than bitcoin, although with far less supply. 

BTC has meanwhile managed around 6x and ETH 3x, while SOL is currently at 18.5x. 

Then again, you can’t buy stuffed collectible bitcoins at Walmart.

Of course, NFT markets are far smaller and less liquid than major coins. They tend to undergo outsized pumps when volume suddenly picks up. 

Most of the gains have come in the past month or so: There were only about 1,000 Pudgy trades in the past week and 1,900 in the past month. 400 and 1,240 for Miladys.

In any case, there’s no denying that floor Miladys and Pudgys are now two of the best-performing crypto assets in this bull market. 

Only one top-25 coin has outperformed them: PEPE.

As you can see, Miladys and Pudgys are outliers

Floor prices for Azuki, Doodles and CryptoPunks have still more than doubled, but that’s less than most major coins excluding LTC and DOT. 

Bored Apes and Nouns have even lost value against the US dollar.

Still, if you were searching for indicators of how silly the next bull market phase could get, look no further.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

allora-image.png

Research

Decentralized AI coordination networks solve crypto's growing architectural mismatch: applications built on trustless infrastructure shouldn't depend on centralized intelligence providers. By turning model outputs into competitive marketplaces, protocols like Allora are building the permissionless intelligence layer that AI-powered DeFi and autonomous agents require.

article-image

For new growth, crypto may need to shed tired norms like over-raising and the hoarding of investment resources

article-image

Ethereum rolls out Fusaka, setting the stage for a stronger blob fee market and renewed deflationary potential

article-image

Futuristic DeFi is stuck inside the computer. An old idea might be its escape hatch

article-image

Money market indicators are flashing liquidity stress again as crypto underperforms equities

article-image

From passageways to penumbras: a history of private life

article-image

BTC’s Asia-session move and Ethena’s weaker yields reflect a market adjusting to tighter yen funding and softer derivatives carry