Recently, non-perishable tokens (NFTs) and their physical counterparts have begun debuting in high-profile retail stores and luxury boutiques.On October 4, an NFT project called Veefriends announced the launch of a collectible limited-edition series of characters exclusively at Macy’s and Toys “R” Us.Veefriends has sold approximately $240.15 million since the inception of the NFT project, ranking it 20th in all-time NFT collection sales.
Veefriends are now in Macy’s and Toys’R’Us stores, and existing Veefriends holders can pick up physical products
The non-fungible token (NFT) project, created by serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, aims to debut at Macy’s and Toys’R’Us retail stores in physical and digital formats. The collection will be available for pre-sale today and will officially launch on October 17. The collection features Vee Friends plush and vinyl characters and can be pre-ordered through the Macy’s mobile app, all Toys “R” Us stores, and on the website shop.veefriends.com.
“This partnership means much more than you can imagine.” Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO and creator of Vee Friends, said in a statement Tuesday. He added, “I grew up in Edison, NJ and fondly remember walking the aisles of these stores as a child. We chose characters that we think embody exciting features for first-time collectors, like some of the toys I first picked up on the shelves of Toys R Us.”
Vaynerchuk added,
I can’t wait to see them in stores and on shelves. It’s a full-round moment for me and a very big step for the company.
Veefriends Joins NFT Projects Entering Retail Industry, NFT Project Partners with Mattel Creations
featured in brick-and-mortar stores, NFT has been in the retail space for quite some time. For example, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) inspired clothing can be found in Pacific Sunwear stores; at the end of September, pop culture collectible Funko (Nasdaq: FNKO) announced a DC Digital Collectibles and Physical counterpart in collaboration with Walmart.
NBA Top Shot NFT packs were distributed to attendees of last year’s NBA Summer League Games. Luxury jewelry and specialty retailer Tiffany & Co.&launched a pack of crypto-punk Co. launched a crypto-punk pendant tied to NFTs, and at the end of February 2021, Topps introduced Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) NFTs within packs of physical trading cards sold at Walmart and Target. In addition, existing Veefriends NFT holders will receive a free physical figure. Each figure comes with a QR code that leads to a 3D animated video and a song about the character.
“Veefriends wants to provide value to the NFT community – not only do they get first access to the collection, but they also get priority for in-store events,” Andy Kraniak, president of Veefriends, said during Tuesday’s announcement to the NFT community – they not only get first access to the collection, but they also get priority for events at the store. We’re excited about this,” said Andy Kraniak, president of Veefriends. “It’s one way we connect with NFT holders and show them how we develop the IP behind the characters.
Veefriends CEO Vaynerchuk also revealed a partnership with Mattel Creations to release a UNO deck featuring Veefriends characters. The new deck will include non-playable foil cards depicting one of the 17 Veefriends, with the character “Gary Bee” set to be the rarest foil card in the collection.Veefriends and UNO The collectable packs will be sold for $25 per pack and will be available exclusively through the website creations.mattel.com.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, Veefriends claim web portal .