# Pudgy Penguins

**Type:** NFT brand / Entertainment IP  
**Status:** Active  
**Founded:** 2021 (NFT collection)  
**Domain:** Entertainment, Web3

## Overview

Pudgy Penguins is an NFT-native entertainment brand that expanded from digital collectibles into physical toys and animated content. The brand includes the original Pudgy Penguins collection and the Lil Pudgys derivative collection.

## Key Initiatives

- **Physical Toys:** Retail distribution in major chains
- **Animated Series:** Partnership with TheSoul Publishing for Lil Pudgys TV show
- **Community IP:** Licensed community-owned NFTs appear as characters in productions

## Governance Model

Tier 1 governance for animated content production — community has no input in narrative decisions. TheSoul Publishing and Pudgy Penguins team control creative direction. Community participation limited to licensing individual NFTs as supporting characters.

## Timeline

- **2025-05-16** — Lil Pudgys animated series launches on YouTube with TheSoul Publishing partnership. First episode released targeting ages 6-11 with 5-minute format. Channel had ~13,000 subscribers at launch despite TheSoul's claimed 2 billion follower network.