Pudgy Penguins waddle their way into 2,000 Walmart locations

Pudgy Penguins, the intellectual property company behind the NFT figures and physical toys, announced the distribution of the physical collectibles in 2,000 Walmart stores on Tuesday.

Now, ahead of the all-too-important holiday season, Americans are able to head online or to their nearest Walmart to find one of the penguins. On the Walmart website, penguin figures (with different, customizable outfits) are available for purchase alongside Giraffe-skinned penguins.

“Walmart’s inclusion of Pudgy Toys in their stores is a testament to the evolution of how consumers engage with brands in the digital era. The team spent years developing the Pudgy brand and fostering our community through social media and the blockchain; we’re thrilled to expand our reach with the support of Walmart,” Pudgy Penguins CEO Luca Netz said. Netz acquired the company back in 2022. 

The rollout follows the Pudgy Penguin toy debut on Amazon earlier this summer, which racked up $500,000 worth of sales in the first couple of days. The selection of toys on Amazon ranges from cuddleable plushes to mini collectible penguins.

There’s also a shop on the Pudgy Penguins website.

The press release announcing the Walmart debut says that the brand has achieved $400 million in “digital collectible sales” since 2021.

The success of the penguin toys comes as one research report claims that 95% of people holding NFT collections “are currently holding onto worthless investments.”

Unlike most of the projects included in the study, Pudgy Penguins managed to take penguins from Web3 to 3D.

“Pudgy Penguins is at the forefront of transforming the toy industry, merging unique digital experiences with blockchain technology, like Ethereum and zkSync,” Netz said.

The toys come with a “unique birth certificate” allow users “to claim unique traits for their digital Forever Pudgy character inside Pudgy World by scanning a QR code.” A toy trait reminiscent of Webkinz, a stuffed animal franchise made popular by its real-life toys that allowed the user to also play with a digital version of the stuffed animal.

“Since all of the toys are connected to existing pieces of NFT [intellectual property], the current NFT holders will receive licensing royalties for each corresponding toy that is sold at Walmart,” the press release said.

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