Walmart Expands Availability of Pudgy Toys in U.S. Stores
Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has expanded the availability of Pudgy Toys, the toy line based on the NFT collection Pudgy Penguins, to 1,100 additional stores in the United States. This brings the total number of Walmart stores carrying Pudgy Toys to 3,100 nationwide. The expansion includes the introduction of 30 new Pudgy Toys, such as Lil Pudgys Igloo Collectibles and Action Figures, with prices ranging from $2.99 to $11.97. The initial launch of Pudgy Toys at Walmart took place in September of last year, with availability in 2,000 U.S. stores.
“The expansion into additional Walmart locations, alongside exclusive toy offerings, underscores the enduring appeal of Pudgy Penguins characters,” said Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins. Each Pudgy toy comes with a QR code that grants access to Pudgy World—a multiplayer digital social platform where users can create their own “Forever Pudgy” characters, play mini-games, and interact with other users. Pudgy World operates on the Ethereum Layer 2 network zkSync Era and is currently in open beta mode.
Royalty Payments for NFT Holders
All Pudgy Toys are inspired by and connected to Pudgy Penguins NFTs. NFT holders who have submitted their pieces for licensing will receive royalties through OverpassIP, Pudgy Penguins’ NFT licensing platform (still in beta mode). The integration of NFTs and blockchain technology with physical toys was first launched in May of last year with the introduction of Pudgy Toys and Pudgy World. These toys are also available for purchase on Amazon. PMI Kids’ World, the manufacturer behind Pudgy Toys, is known for producing toys for popular franchises like Fortnite and Among Us.
Pudgy Penguins NFTs and Ranking
Last week, Pudgy Penguin NFTs briefly surpassed Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs in terms of floor price, indicating high demand for the collection. Pudgy Penguins is currently ranked as the twentieth-largest NFT collection by sales volume of all time, based on data from CryptoSlam. This Ethereum-based collection consists of 8,888 NFTs featuring cartoon penguins. It was launched in 2021 and acquired by Luca Netz for $2.5 million in 2022 after the project’s founders were voted out by the community due to unfulfilled promises.