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Doodles: In a world where attention spans are shrinking and digital trends shift almost overnight, only a handful of Web3 projects have managed to break through the noise and truly build something lasting. Among them stands Doodles, a colourful, quirky NFT collection that has quietly grown into one of the most influential digital IP brands in the space. But Doodles is more than just vibrant art and collectable avatars; it represents a cleverly evolving business model that blends blockchain-based ownership with mainstream entertainment, commerce, and culture.
Since its initial launch in late 2021, Doodles has transformed from a community-driven NFT drop into a multifaceted brand, capturing the attention of Web3 investors, traditional media companies, and even music icons like Pharrell Williams. What started as 10,000 pastel-colored profile pictures has now expanded into a much broader ecosystem, one that includes dynamic digital avatars, limited-edition merch, immersive real-world events, and soon, original music and animated content.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into how Doodles is building a scalable and sustainable business beyond hype. From its revenue streams and product evolution to its long-term strategy around intellectual property and entertainment, we’ll explore exactly what makes Doodles more than just another NFT project, and how it might become the next generation’s version of Hello Kitty, Marvel, or Pokémon.
What are Doodles and how was it founded?
Doodles began its journey in October 2021, launched as a limited collection of 10,000 uniquely generated digital characters living on the Ethereum blockchain. The collection stood out immediately thanks to its vibrant, hand-drawn art style, colourful, whimsical figures that carried a sense of nostalgia, simplicity, and approachability. These weren’t aggressive or futuristic NFTs. Instead, Doodles leaned into soft pastels and playful shapes, giving them broad appeal and emotional charm. The aesthetic was created by artist Scott “Burnt Toast” Martin, whose illustration work gave the collection a recognisable visual identity that continues to define the brand today.
Behind the project were three co-founders: Burnt Toast as the artist, along with Evan Keast and Jordan Castro, both of whom had experience in product and community development at leading crypto ventures like Dapper Labs. From the beginning, their vision was different from most projects flooding the NFT space at the time. While others focused on flipping, hype, and speculation, Doodles was imagined as the foundation of an entire creative universe, one where ownership of a Doodle wasn’t just about digital bragging rights, but about being part of a long-term, evolving brand.
Holding a Doodle was positioned as a type of membership pass. Instead of selling the NFT as a final product, the team treated it as the start of a broader relationship with its holders. These NFTs acted as keys to unlock access, not just to online perks or community chats, but to real-world events, behind-the-scenes creative influence, and, eventually, co-ownership of the brand’s direction. Over time, the team also floated ideas of limited commercial licensing, suggesting holders might one day be able to monetise their own Doodle characters in specific ways.
This foundation created a new way to think about NFTs, not just as collectables, but as entry points into participatory brand-building. In a sense, Doodles flipped the script: the NFT wasn’t the product, but the first chapter in a larger story. It represented a shift from passive ownership to active community involvement. That vision has continued to evolve, as Doodles has grown from a digital art collection into an ambitious entertainment company bridging Web3, storytelling, and mainstream media.
Doodles’ business model explained: How Doodles makes money
Doodles operates on a multifaceted business model that merges the imaginative nature of IP-driven storytelling with the innovation of blockchain technology. At its foundation, Doodles is not just a static NFT project but a dynamic brand aiming to evolve into a full-fledged entertainment company. Its approach to revenue generation is diversified across several distinct verticals, allowing it to scale in both the Web3 ecosystem and the mainstream consumer world.
NFT sales and royalties
The project first generated income through the primary sale of its original 10,000 NFT collectables. These hand-drawn characters, released on the Ethereum blockchain, quickly gained popularity, resulting in significant upfront revenue. Following the launch, Doodles continued earning through secondary sales royalties, a common model in the NFT space where creators receive a percentage each time an NFT is resold on marketplaces. Although these royalties have seen a decline across the industry due to shifting marketplace policies, they provided Doodles with a foundational source of recurring income in its early stages. The introduction of “Doodles 2,” an extension of the brand hosted on the Flow blockchain, further advanced their sales model. Unlike the original collection, Doodles 2 allowed for mass participation, offering dynamic avatars that users could personalise and trade, thereby opening the door to a more scalable revenue system.
Digital customisation and wearables
Another critical part of the business involves digital customisation. Through their proprietary platform, The Stoodio, users are able to personalise their Doodles avatars with new traits, outfits, accessories, and animations. These digital items are sold as microtransactions, borrowing a model commonly used by successful gaming platforms such as Fortnite or Roblox. Limited-time drops, rarity-based accessories, and evolving visual features drive user engagement while also creating consistent income streams.
Events and experiences
In addition to online experiences, Doodles has begun carving out a physical presence through real-world events and brand activations. These include immersive pop-ups, interactive showcases, and festival-style installations that blend art, music, and technology. Often hosted in partnership with major entertainment or fashion entities, these events may generate revenue through ticket sales, exclusive merchandise, or corporate sponsorships. They also serve as powerful marketing tools to broaden the brand’s appeal beyond the Web3-native community.
Merchandising
Merchandising is another core revenue driver. The company releases limited-edition physical goods such as apparel, toys, and lifestyle products, often themed around the characters or tied to a specific storyline. As Doodles matures, it’s expected that its merchandising efforts will expand into formal retail partnerships and direct-to-consumer channels, helping to bridge digital fandom with tangible products. These physical items not only diversify income but also help solidify the brand’s presence in the real world.
In the media and entertainment space, Doodles is developing original content, ranging from short-form animations and music to larger media ambitions. This has been accelerated by the involvement of Pharrell Williams, who serves as the brand’s Chief Brand Officer and has helped facilitate a partnership with Columbia Records. Through this alliance, Doodles has started producing music tied to its universe, and as this content is released, licensing and royalty income from streaming, sync deals, and publishing will form another layer of monetisation.
Intellectual Property (IP) Expansion
Perhaps the most forward-looking aspect of the Doodles business model is its strategy for intellectual property expansion. The company envisions its characters becoming recognisable across television, games, toys, and even theme parks. This vision mirrors how brands like Hello Kitty or Marvel evolved from niche fan bases to global icons. To that end, Doodles aims to license its characters for use in external media and consumer products. Additionally, select NFT holders may be given limited commercialisation rights to use their own Doodle characters in unique ways, whether that’s launching a product line or collaborating with other creators, adding an open-source layer to their IP strategy.
Venture Capital Backing
Finally, the business is backed by venture capital, which plays a key role in supporting its growth. In 2022, Doodles raised $54 million in funding led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s firm, 776. While this investment isn’t revenue in itself, it enables the company to build internal infrastructure, scale its creative team, and pursue ambitious goals across entertainment, retail, and technology.
Are the Doodles still relevant in 2025?
Despite the fast-moving pace of Web3 and the tendency for NFT hype to come and go, Doodles remains one of the few projects that has not only survived but continues to evolve and expand. In 2025, its story is far from outdated. Doodles stands as a living, ongoing case study of how digital-first intellectual property can successfully grow into a cross-platform brand that resonates far beyond the crypto community.
First and foremost, Doodles is still active and building. Far from fading into irrelevance after the NFT boom, the brand has been steadily broadening its horizons. It is no longer just a collectable art project on the Ethereum blockchain. Over the past year, Doodles has been investing heavily in entertainment, fashion, gaming, and experiential events. These expansions include music projects (in collaboration with Columbia Records), the development of an animation studio (Doodles Studios), and immersive in-person experiences like Doodles Camp. These are not remnants of a hype cycle, they are signals of a growing IP brand with long-term ambitions.
Another reason why Doodles matters in 2025 is because of the ongoing conversation around Web3 and digital IP. As the line between traditional and decentralised media continues to blur, Doodles provides one of the clearest examples of how blockchain-native creations can move into the mainstream. The project’s creators have consistently positioned Doodles not as a speculative asset but as a brand with storytelling, characters, and community at its core, similar to how Pixar or Sanrio built empires through emotional resonance and visual style. That process is still unfolding, which makes the brand timely and topical even today.
Moreover, we’re witnessing a growing trend where Web3 brands are crossing over into pop culture, and Doodles is leading that shift. The involvement of Pharrell Williams, who serves as Chief Brand Officer, has played a major role in this. His music and fashion influence gives Doodles cultural credibility beyond crypto circles. The brand’s limited-edition apparel drops, real-world collaborations, and physical activations have also helped solidify its place in the lifestyle space. This kind of crossover appeal is exactly what Web3 brands need to sustain themselves, and Doodles has been executing on that front with intention and creativity.
Importantly, it is still in the early stages of its pivot toward entertainment, which makes 2025 an especially interesting time to analyse its trajectory. The creation of Doodles Studios and the production of original animated content is a huge shift that’s still unfolding. While many NFT projects have faded or fizzled, Doodles is actively trying to build what some describe as a “decentralised Disney,” a creative universe built with community input, owned by holders, but made to entertain the world. That goal is bold, still in progress, and undeniably relevant right now.
Ultimately, Doodles’ value today lies not just in its past success but in its present momentum and future potential. It is a story that’s still being written, and that makes it a compelling subject for anyone studying how internet-born brands can evolve into powerful, cross-media franchises.