6 mins readIn the crowd world of NFT profile-picture (PFP) projects, Doodles reigns supreme. It's not just a beloved entity, it's a trailblazer. A global sensation of colorfully sketched characters that's earned its place atop PFP rankings. The popularity? Massive. The sales volume? Astounding. But, believe me, there's so much more behind these delightful Doodles than what first glances might reveal.
Each Doodle is unique. It's not just about aesthetics, though. The mechanics behind them, they're ground-breaking. High-profile collaborations? Doodles has them in abundance. Not to mention the dazzling in-person events that add an extra layer of allure. Doodles is more than just a project, it's a veritable phenomenon.
Rarity checker by nextNFTmint for Doodle
Navigating the waves of the NFT world hasn't been an easy task. But, Doodles has shown resilience. It's not just survived, but thrived, emerging as one of the most successful brands in the Web3 arena. A success story for the digital age, if you will.
The journey of Doodles to prominence is a saga in itself. Twists? Check. Turns? You bet. Capturing all these elements might be an uphill task, but worry not. This guide here is your treasure map, a complete low-down on everything Doodles. It's a start to truly understanding what makes Doodles the giant it is in the realm of NFTs.
Let’s dive in.
What’s Included in Doodles NFT?
Doodles NFT collection is a unique assembly of 10,000 generative NFTs. This brilliant work springs from the creative minds of Evan Keast, Scott Martin, and Jordan Castro, who you might know by their quirky aliases - Burnt Toast, Tulip, and Poopie, respectively. Before Doodles, Keast and Castro had already made a name for themselves in the NFT realm. Remember the legendary CryptoKitties NFT project by Dapper Labs? Yes, they were part of that! Also, Doodle cooperates with Red Bull.
Red Bull Doodle Art winner Chiara Croce of Italy poses with her trophy
Then there's Martin, another integral part of this trio. He's been a force within the NFT space for about a year, minting his pieces and expanding his creative brand. Doodles showcases his original art. He's crafted hundreds of unique visual traits for this collection.
The project may have borrowed a page from its predecessors, the likes of CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and Cool Cats. Just like them, it created its collection by randomly mixing and matching these individual traits.
Doodles is a wild, vibrant world. It's populated by humans, pickles, cats, apes, skeletons, sentient flames, aliens, and more. Each Doodle NFT boasts varying degrees of rarity, a common characteristic in generative avatar collections. Even though the Doodles team hasn't officially released a catalog showing what traits are the rarest or most common, various third-party services over time have unveiled their unofficial rankings. It's a world teeming with creativity and diversity, each Doodle brimming with its own unique personality.
When did Doodles launch?
On October 17, 2021, the world of NFTs welcomed Doodles with open arms. Each mint was priced at 0.123 ETH, a number considered rather steep at the time. Most PFP projects before Doodles were set at less than 0.1 ETH. The Doodles team, however, chose to break the mold. They aimed for a sizable initial treasury of around 420 ETH.
Something unusual occurred during Doodles' debut. The team made a move not previously seen in a PFP project. About a month before minting began, they closed the Discord when membership ticked past 1,000. No new members could join, adding a touch of exclusivity to the project's community.
This bold move drew a mixed bag of reactions. It meant that whitelist access, or priority minting, was limited to just a handful. But as the minting date of Doodles neared, interest in the project amplified.
This strategy of closing the Discord started being viewed as a clever way to reward those who were early supporters of the NFT project. It was bold, it was different, and it worked.
After all the Doodles were scooped up, the team flung open the doors of the Discord server. This move ushered in a new wave of eager collectors and enthusiasts, each one adding their unique touch to the growing community. It wasn't long before well-known NFT influencers and celebrities jumped on the Doodles bandwagon, reinforcing its status as a hot-spot in the PFP NFT world.
Burnt Toast's artwork has been collected by celebrities and art lovers
Many avatar projects tout themselves as community-centered, but Doodles takes it a step further. It isn't just about promoting community - Doodles actively empowers its members. As per their website, owning a Doodle and participating in community proposals is about collaboration, about shaping the roadmap together.
In recent months, this aspect of the project has been beautifully illuminated. Thanks to its voting system and an unwavering stance against scams and in favor of artists, Doodles stands out. It isn't just an NFT project; it's a living, breathing community, brimming with shared ideals and active participation.
Doodles Controversy
There have been times where the Doodles team's holders thought they fell short, despite their emphasis on community and commitment to IRL events. Particularly, the team's communication has occasionally lagged behind competitors in the PFP industry.
Many in Web3 criticized the developers for Doodles' failure to interact with its community throughout the majority of the second half of 2022, suggesting that the project may burn out or become a rug pull. In retrospect, the team's intense emphasis on creating the project's subsequent iteration was evident (Doodles 2). Even so, the damage to Doodles' reputation had already been done when the hush was broken and this fact came to light.
Castro also tweeted comments about Doodles "not being an NFT project" about the same time the Doodles team started receiving criticism for their faults, which unavoidably irritated many holders and fans. So it stands to reason that the Doodles community wasn't as thrilled about the activation as they had been for those prior when Doodles shortly after released an NFT collection game with a sock theme.
Overall, this incident gave the Doodles team the motivation to make changes by committing to maintain a stronger channel of communication with collectors moving ahead.
Final Verdict: Will Doodles ‘Go to The Moon?’
So, the million-dollar question: will Doodles rocket to the moon? After its launch, the Doodles floor price hovered between 1-5 ETH for several months. But as 2021 drew to a close, things began to heat up. Keast and his Doodles team started releasing tantalizing short animations, teasing something fresh and exciting. The result? A jump in secondary sales and record-breaking Doodles sales.
In the NFT world, a sudden increase in purchases and trades - known as a 'pump' - often follows major announcements or collector rewards. However, Doodles took it up a notch. Even a month after their announcement, they kept the ball rolling. Their big reveal? The Space Doodles NFTs.
Stats from OpenSea as of June 13th, 2023
Sure, we've seen projects like Cool Pets, Bored Ape Kennel Club, KingFrogs, and others launch additional collections to ride the demand wave and broaden their collector base. But Space Doodles? That's a different story. Rather than adding more NFTs to the original 10,000, the Doodles team enabled owners to exchange their NFT for a new, spaceship-themed one. These spaceship-themed NFTs exist separately on the Ethereum blockchain, setting them apart from the original ones.
The best part is, only Doodles holders could claim these Space Doodles. According to Castro, they were "non-dilutive extended content for Doodles". He even delved into the technical aspects in a Twitter thread. So, will Doodles go to the moon? With their innovative approach and dedicated community, they've certainly got their sights set on the stars.
