Doodles was launched on October 17, 2021. It has developed rapidly and grown into one of the most influential and popular NFT projects in existence among members of the NFT community. From humble beginnings, the collection of 10,000 generative NFTs has begun to expand far beyond the scope of the blockchain, to a Web3 entertainment company. The
Doodles project is so young, and the growth and achievements of its founders, Evan Keast, Scott Martin, and Jordan Castro, are incredible. From live, immersive events to unique, innovative project development, the company has added a range of talent to its team, including former Billboard president Julian Holguin as CEO and Pharrell Williams as chief brand officer.
With the next iteration of the series, Doodles 2, on the horizon, along with a slew of other initiatives, the NFT community has been speculating about what the future holds for Doodles. So we caught up with Doodles co-founder Keast to get an inside look at what we can expect from Doodles in the coming months and years. What are the changes to
Doodles? The changes within the
Doodle ecosystem are subtle, but impactful. From the outset, the Doodles team made it clear that their first priority was to empower the community, and this ethos has been a major aspect of the ecosystem.
Keast said in an interview with the media: "With thousands of people enjoying your brand all over the world, it is definitely one thing that, you know, you can say you will look forward to it, but it is very humbling in itself. Core The experience is always going to be Web3 and community based. But that doesn't stop us from doing things like an animated series, or a movie, or a game. From the early days of the project, the Doodle owner (Doodler) has had the ability to contribute to community proposals. Vote and directly participate in Doodles' decisions. While proposals aren't as frequent as they were in the first few months after the project launched, initiatives like the ones Keast mentioned are becoming more important to the future and overall success of Doodles as a brand.
Likewise, while the founders of Doodles have always kept their sights on the "horizon", as the project has grown in popularity, the scope of what the Doodles team is trying to do has grown in scope.
To put this into perspective, the Doodles team initially decided on a mint price of 0.123ETH to ensure an initial treasury of approximately 420ETH (all placed in the community Doodle treasury). The project has now amassed nearly 140,000 ETH sales on OpenSea alone, with Doodle Treasury taking a 5% fee from all secondary sales on the platform. This effectively ensures that the Doodles team has recouped many times over their original holdings worth over $1.5 million.
The funding heralds the multi-pronged approach Doodles is taking to build its brand. While they started out as a simple PFP series, with the addition of music veterans Holguin and Williams, it's clear that Keast and his team are aiming for longevity in a similar fashion to Bored Apes and Yuga Labs. It is for these purposes that we find Doodles looking to become a full-fledged Web3 entertainment company.
Keast said: "We will try to develop Web3 solutions in parallel with world-class partners. So if we are going to solve e-commerce problems, we are not just going to do it alone, we will do it in parallel with Shopify. We are working on all these things , but I still think our core business is as a Web3 entertainment brand. "What's next for
Doodles?"
It has become common for NFT projects that are just starting out to adopt a large and impressive roadmap to attract potential collectors. Of course, it's nice to have a framework for project efforts, but it seems like a large percentage of projects either keep extending their delivery dates or simply don't meet their goals.
Within the Doodles project, it was felt that the writing was on the wall for almost all project risks. By motivating Doodlers to participate in decision-making, the actions of the Doodles founders speak louder than any words on the roadmap. One of the best examples of this may be Doodles’ activation event at NFT.NYC.
As far as Keast is concerned, "Genesis Factory" is a win, both allowing him and his team to showcase the work they're working on to their fan base, and bringing the Doodler community together on a level that transcends drunken dancing. Let everyone collide with each other.
Keast told the outlet: "We want our IRL events to align with our product cycle. We don't want to just show up somewhere and throw a party. We want everything to be integrated into one experience, and ultimately, you know , is to collect a Doodle. So whenever we show up, there should be something to do, product-wise. It's either reveal new technology or celebrate a milestone on our roadmap that we hope to do every time. There's always something new for people to experience. "
As if to perfectly embody Keast's desire to showcase, the Doodles Creation Factory provides a stage for the unveiling of many upcoming Doodles initiatives, including Doodles' first fundraising, Doodles 2, Doodles Records, and more. Let's break these announcements down.
Doodles Fundraising Event
First, the Doodles team announced at the Genesis Factory launch event that 776 Management, a venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, will lead Doodles’ first round of financing. While the funding amount was not disclosed, the partnership appears to be strong in nature as it was also announced that 776 co-founder Katelin Holloway will join the Doodles board of directors.
In this move, Doodles also announced that Pharrell Williams (Pharrell Williams) has joined the project as chief brand officer and board member. This announcement in particular created a huge buzz both during and after the Genesis Factory.
Doodles 2
Doodles 2 is probably the most important announcement to come from the Genesis Factory. As companion projects like Mutant Apes, Cool Pets, and more help popular projects capitalize on demand and further grow their collector base, Doodles 2 is another step in bringing more enthusiasts into the Doodles ecosystem.
It’s worth noting that while the genesis Doodles series is hosted on Ethereum, Doodles 2 may live on a different blockchain entirely. Keast said the decision is still a pending one overall, but he and the Doodles team hope it will help further mass adoption of the Doodles project.
Keast said: "We're looking at a second-tier solution, or something. It's not set in stone. We just want it to be used by as many people as possible. So we're looking at where to deploy it. All of our other experiences On Ethereum. And, you know, that's where the community is right now. So we're going to continue to build these experiences on Ethereum. The upcoming series of "
" is called "Doodle for Everyone" and will allow for new collections. Cast a base level Doodle, choose universal traits like skin tone and hair color, then customize your Doodle with wearables of varying levels of rarity. Doodle 2 is said to be a dynamic NFT that allows owners to change their appearance at will, switch between full-body or PFP views, and unlock an animated version of their NFT, complete with original music.
Doodles 2 is also where the Genesis Box comes into play. This NFT box was unveiled at the Genesis Factory and contains the first wearable device, which will become the seed of Doodles 2’s wearable device economy. This complete box collection of 24,000 NFTs has been made available on June 29, 2022 through a unique new auction format that Doodles calls a bucket auction.
Doodles Record Another new division of the
Doodles overall brand was also announced at the Genesis Factory event. It's called Doodles Records, and we know very little about this so-called record label, but Doodles Records Volume One has been announced to include original music executive produced by Pharrell, album art hand-drawn by master Doodles artist Scott Martin, and Doodles 2, a limited-edition wearable.The first volume, launched in partnership with Columbia Records, features Doodles 2 owners will be able to layer music into their new animated NFTs.
Dooplicator
Dooplicator is one of the most mysterious aspects of the Doodles ecosystem, having been revealed at the Genesis Factory as an NFT that, as the Doodles Twitter account puts it, "will always be useful outside of Doodles 2." Keast says these NFTs are a reseller option that will allow collectors to bring the rarest original Doodles features into Doodles 2 when it comes to interacting with the larger Doodles ecosystem.
Keast told the outlet: "Essentially, Dooplicator will allow you to bring original Doodle features into Doodles 2. It will be able to be used, although not limited to this one action, but it will have further functionality throughout the Doodles ecosystem." Usage. OG Doodle holders will be able to trade with people who own Dooplicators to lend or rent out their traits at a price they set. This is what Jordan and I learned from CryptoKitties. All I can share about Doodoplicator right now."
Doodles' design is a slow burn
Besides the price increase and the general hype cycle of celebrities joining the Doodler community, Doodles have been known to keep their communities hanging. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because while the broader NFT community has become accustomed to teasers and announcements every two weeks, Keast and the rest of the Doodles team seem more than happy to keep quiet until they have something to say.
Keast said it was difficult for him to put the Doodles project in a box. He believes that Doodles is on track, making steady progress toward the short- and long-term goals on the Doodles roadmap, and he intends to continue to steadily demonstrate what his team is building when the time comes. And this work ethic may be a simple source of the perceived laissez-faire attitude of the Doodles team.
Keast said: "What we want to do is get the number one NFT user experience... We really just want to be the best consumer NFT product that people can get. For the second half of 2022, We just have to keep moving forward and a lot of new things are going to all show up over the course of the year, but you know, we're just excited to continue to show off and let people see new experiences that make them think, 'Hey, maybe NFTs actually are. Cooler than I thought'.
