A trailblazer in the NFT scene, Doodles has truly cemented its reputation and appeal to the public. Within just a few months since it has launched, it now poses as one of the most admired and sought after projects in existence and in the market. These colorfully-drawn cartoon or caricature characters have surged and propelled to the top ranks of PFP (profile-picture) collections in terms of popularity and sales volume, and have assimilated well into mainstream media and varying cultures worldwide.

Here is a guide to help you better understand the Doodles ecosystem, what the community offers, how it translates to real-life experiences, past, present and projects on the horizon, and how it is being immortalized in the NFT world.

What is the Doodles NFT Collection?

Doodles is a collection of 10,000 generative NFTs (non-fungible tokens) by Evan Keast, Scott Martin and Jordan Castro, also known by their aliases Tulip, Burnt Toast, and Poopie respectively. Prior to Doodles, Keast and Castro had already established their legacy with Crypto Kitties circa 2017, whereas Martin had been curating and developing his own creative brand for about a year. (Fun fact: Doodles was originally named DoodleDAO in its infancy days.)

Martin then developed and created this mix of traits for the collection. Similar to its predecessors CryptoPunks, Bored Apes and Cool Cats, Doodles then followed suit as these were randomly mixed and matched to generate the whole PFP collection.

These PFPs exhibit a multitude of exciting traits that are universally appealing and relatable. Collectors may also find special and rare Doodles such as whales, dinos, sharks, sailors, even balloons! There are also special hand-drawn Doodles that include skellys, cats, aliens, apes, and mascots.

As is the case with the majority of generative collections, Doodles NFTs also come in degrees of rarity, attributed to their various traits and features. You can refer here to check out the unofficial rarities of Doodles. It bears noting that rare or 1/1 Doodles (just 1 in the entire collection) fetch for large amounts, thousands of dollars even. From its minting price of 0.123 ETH, the Doodles floor price peaked at around 25 ETH.

Be that as it may, the community of Doodles embraces how each Doodle is special and equal, and how each character has its own story to tell. No two Doodles are made the same, and this was what drew attention to the Doodles collection, regardless if common or rare, the relatability it offers to (potential) holders of these cute profile pictures. People can easily identify with them, use them as they see fit for social media, the possibilities are really endless.

Pioneers in their own right, Doodles and its creators continue to expand its reach by offering unique experiences within its universe to its holders. By owning one or more of its NFTS, users gain access to the latest merchandise, products, and exclusive events. It also grants your voting rights for community-led projects, products and events.

Holders are also exposed to a massive selection of whitelisting opportunities, granted by projects that go in partnership with the Rainbow Exchange (or formerly known as Doodles Alpha). Within these gated channels, holders are able to learn from each other on how to navigate the market, what projects to keep their eye on, and ultimately understand which projects to invest in.

How much is a Doodles NFT?

Doodles launched last October 17, 2021, at a price of 0.123 ETH per mint (or $470, pegged to the price of Ethereum then at $3800 per ETH). Users who were selected for the presale were allotted 5 mints or, put simply, 5 NFTs from the collection. After the mint, the founding team was able to raise 420 ETH for their treasury and expand their vision and brand.

During its marketing rollout and development, Doodles took an unorthodox path that had never been done before by any project in the space–they closed the Discord access to the public, seemingly constraining everyone from joining the server as they please. When the server hit 1,000 members, users either had to find a way to get in by means of creating fan art, or getting noticed by one of their founders on Twitter. This proved to be a creative and effective way of organically building exclusivity within its community.

Since this method was unusual and far from the norm, it then received mixed reviews–-others saw it as a compelling way to gain a whitelist spot or pre-sale allocation (think earned, not given), whereas some deemed it to be too exclusive or elitist, and thereby creating friction for some. Regardless, as the project’s launch drew closer, the founders carried on with their plans, and persevered through the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) thrown their way.

Nonetheless, as the mint date drew closer, it proved to be a penchant for success as their following grew exponentially, as more and more people desired to be part of the Doodles community that was forming behind closed doors. Undeniably, it was an innovative strategy that rewarded its members and early supporters.

What is the utility of Doodles?

The founders had a plan after all. Subsequently, after the sell-out of Doodles, the server was then reopened. Holders of Doodles NFTs had the chance to verify their Doodles holdings; and this, in turn, granted them exclusive channels within the community. This brought in a slew of new collectors, supporters and enthusiasts of the project.

Little did everyone know how impactful Doodles was and is going to be—in the coming months, a plethora of NFT influencers, celebrities, or whales (high net-worth individuals commonly known in the space) would join and become part of the Doodles’ rapidly growing empire. The influx of prominent names and figures would further establish the brand as one of the premier and bluechip PFP NFTs in the space.

From the onset, the Doodles team outlined their plans, how the treasury would be managed, and what kind of treatment would be implemented thereafter. They advocated community empowerment, and much like a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), each holder, regardless of how few or many Doodles they hold, would have a say in its endeavors.

On Voting

The whole Doodles ecosystem and community is essentially a DAO, and every owner has authority and say in what the DAO acts upon, its projects and how it will be managed. In its early stages, Keast outlined and clearly defined how the DoodleDAO treasury operates and how it affects the DoodleBank.

As of this writing, members have been able to vote on proposals and initiatives for scaling, events, funding and much more. This is supplemented, of course, by the discourse that take place inside its Discord server.

Lately, proposals have become scarce as the project continues to grow and mature, perhaps due to the leadership and direction provided by the team, acting as an anchor towards the Doodles brand success.

Derivatives? Scams?

With the success of Doodles, it quickly rose to become the inspiration for a myriad of derivatives and knockoff projects. Though it can be perceived as flattering, it is also prone to misuse, as these projects often are launched mainly for profit. Thus, the Doodles team created an approval system, whereby aspiring derivative projects may apply officially through proper channels. Project proposals that were submitted by developers were voted upon by its holders and received the support of the community. Collections such as Noodles and Pukenza are some of the few projects that were approved by Doodles.

And since the Doodles price has skyrocketed within a few months, a scam alert channel was also opened in the Doodles server, to somehow mitigate scams and help those unassuming holders to avoid these predators. A large number of fraudulent accounts and projects have been detected and reported there to date.

An Entertainment Gateway

One of the many exciting, breathtaking facets of NFTs is when you see it bridge over from the blockchain into the real world (also known as IRL or “In-Real-Life” events). And as Doodles’ core being its community, it was well primed and set to deploy on-site activations and events wherein holders may enjoy a real-life Doodle experience. We credit this to the vision of co-founder Keast, and his goal of cultivating Doodles to be a comprehensive Web3 entertainment company.

With precise and meticulous planning, the Doodles team has undertaken various steps to turn this goal into a reality.

These immersive, interactive and innovative in-person experiences were recently deployed by Doodles in annual wide-scale NFT events.

In “Art Basel Miami 2021”, they partnered with The Heart Project, another PFP NFT Community and held their first event. This immediately made waves in the NFT scene as this gave holders and even non-holders, a preview of what they should expect from Doodles, not just as a brand but as an entertainment company. In it they featured an expansive Doodles gallery, offered exclusive merchandise, live music performances, etc.

Suffice to say the event was a success—this put Doodles on the map as a forerunner in the NFT setting, so much so that Keast mentioned how it invited well-known talent scouts and agencies to take interest in the Doodles brand.

They took a step further in their second event, called the “Doodles Genesis Factory”, launched June 22 during NFT.NYC. This further solidified the presence of Doodles with the unveiling of an assortment of initiatives, namely Doodles 2, Doodles Records among other projects they have in the pipeline.

Doodles to Space!

Towards the latter part of 2021, things started to really pick up for Doodles. Evan Keast, alongside his crew, started to tease about a development underway–this prompted a boost in secondary sales and unimaginable Doodle sales to date.

With the increase in trading volume and upsurge in prices, Doodles continued the momentum and took a step further by announcing Space Doodles. As opposed to the typical trajectory of other projects like Cool Pets from Cool Cats or Bored Ape Kennel Club from Bored Ape Yacht Club, where they capitalize on the demand by increasing their supply and reach, Space Doodles brought on another trailblazing notion of maintaining the original collection of 10,000 NFTs.

In a nutshell, contrary to adding another collection like an auxiliary, Doodles broke new ground by allowing Doodles owners to “change” or “swap” their NFTs for a space(ship)-themed Doodle. Once launched, these Doodles would each have their respective spaceship, traversing space. The actual experience of discovering your animated Space Doodle flying through the Doodle “galaxy” was undoubtedly something any owner would treasure.

All these, of course, were exclusive only for holders of the NFT, and were aptly described as “non-dilutive”. This allows Doodles to rebrand without changing or altering the integrity of the original collection.

This was then met with varying perspectives, as it was again, unconventional to say the least. People were so accustomed to diluted drops from projects that it seemingly posed as the norm. The founders of Doodles broke from this convention and paved their own. In spite of the many criticisms, the team delivered as promised, and yet again, became the catalyst for Doodles to reach new heights.

The Doodles Roadmap

What Doodles has achieved thus far is nothing short of astounding. In its 8-month tenure in the market, Doodles has amassed a total trading volume of 144K ETH, a feat that is truly remarkable. And although the top spot remains with the Bored Ape Yacht Club with 642K ETH, these lively colorful characters absolutely earned its place in the hearts of collectors worldwide.

Looking ahead, Doodles is determined to continue building and securing its place in the NFT arena. From creating truly unique experiences for holders to developing novel products, the Doodles team has definitely positioned itself to widen its scope. Just recently they onboarded an array of influential talents, like Pharrell Williams as Chief Branding Officer, as well as former President of Billboard Julian Holguin as its Chief Executive Officer.

What may be interpreted as a means of incentivizing or providing additional value to its holders, Doodles recently concluded an “airdrop” for its holders–a 1:1 (One Doodle, One item), called the Dooplicator. Described as having “perpetual utility beyond Doodles 2”, these Dooplicators, are “super-powered devices that will allow collectors to bring the rarest OG traits into Doodles 2.” As of the moment, no further information about the Dooplicators have been released, further adding to the mystery and excitement about these airdropped devices.

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As the Doodles Web3 company continues to grow, here are some of the initiatives the community has in store.

Doodles 2

Apart from the Space Doodles project, Doodles 2 is undeniably the most anticipated event that is coming very soon. In this endeavor, the team is looking to introduce more and more people into the Doodles ecosystem.

Although nothing has been confirmed, it is believed that Doodles 2 will most likely be on a different blockchain entirely. This is primarily aimed at mass adoption of the Doodles project.

Doodles 2 will allow new enthusiasts and collectors to mint a plain, base-level Doodle, and fully customize it using generic traits that include (but not limited to) skin tone and hair color. Apart from that, users may also choose different wearables varying in rarities. Speculations suggest that Doodles 2 will be dynamic NFTs, and therefore owners may opt to change the looks of their Doodles as they see fit, as often as they like. It is also said that interchangeability options from full-body to PFP may also be implemented, and that these new Doodles may come with animation and background music.

Doodles 2 is also where the Doodles Genesis Box comes into play. Unveiled at the Genesis Factory, this seemingly inconspicuous NFT box holds first-edition wearables that will be useful in and throughout Doodles 2. This is a separate 24,000 item collection from the original 10,000 Doodles and was launched through a unique auction setup called a Bucket Auction.

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Doodles Fundraise

It was also announced that 776 Management, a venture capital firm created by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, would be leading the first round of funding for Doodles.To date, no information has been disclosed regarding the capital infusion and raise Doodles will be receiving. The partnership also entailed that 776 co-founder Katelin Holloway would be joining the Doodles board of directors.

Doodles Records

Another vibrant new venture of the Doodles brand is Doodles Records. It seems fitting that with the onboarding of Pharrell Williams, Doodles Records will be in the pipeline. Doodles Records: Volume 1 has been established to include original music produced by Pharrell himself and would include artwork from Scott Martin. Limited edition wearables alongside Doodles 2 would also be incorporated. This is in partnership with Columbia Records.

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The future of Doodles

Doodles are here to stay. Apart from the relatability it offers to holders and supporters, the genius mind of the three founders will forever bind Doodles to the NFT scene and to our hearts. The experiences that we get from interacting with our Doodles coupled with real life events has already become a lifestyle.

And not to mention the intangibles that come with owning a Doodle–the sense of community it offers, the security, and abundance of opportunities members share with one another, are what solidifies the Doodles ecosystem.

Doodles has, irrevocably, defined our generation–we wear these PFPs as an insignia, a keepsake, and as a commemoration of togetherness that can withstand the volatility of the market, and the test of time.

This article is written by Paolo Deyto.

Editor’s Note: This article by The Mega Maxi is not a financial advise.