Pudgy Penguins, the beloved Web3 brand known for its cute NFT avatars, has officially launched its physical toy line in Japan. The plush toys are now available at Don Quijote (commonly known as “Donki”) stores, including locations like Nagoya Osu and MEGA Utsunomiya, signaling a major step in the brand’s global retail expansion Pickle Rooms.
🧸 Pudgy Penguins Go Mainstream in Japan
Lucas Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins, confirmed in a blog post that the Japanese rollout has commenced. “Pudgy Penguins Japanese expansion begins. The future is in Asia,” he tweeted, sharing the milestone with the community NFT CULTURE+12InsideBitcoins.com+12Wikipedia+12.
The rollout at Donki—a beloved discount retailer with over 600 stores in Japan (and more than 100 overseas)—follows earlier successful listings in global retailers such as Walmart, Target, Walgreens, and Amazon InsideBitcoins.com.
Toy Line Features & Digital Integration
- Launched in 2023 in partnership with PMI Toys, the “Pudgy Toys” line includes plushies, collectibles, and figurines—all accompanied by a QR code that unlocks traits and items in the Pudgy World online platform, powered by zkSync NFT CULTURE+14InsideBitcoins.com+14Wikipedia+14.
- Toy sales have soared: the brand moved over 1.5 million units across retailers like Walmart and Target within the first year NFT CULTURE+8Pickle Rooms+8ElevateU+8.
- NFT holders participate in royalties through OverpassIP, allowing them to benefit from each toy produced from their IP Wikipedia+4InsideBitcoins.com+4NFT Evening+4.
🌐 From Digital Collectibles to Global IP Brand
The Japanese launch reinforces Pudgy Penguins’ strategy to transform from a digital NFT collection into a global IP powerhouse. By bridging on-chain avatars with physical toys and expanding into Asian retail, the project is broadening its reach far beyond Web3 circles Crypto Briefing+14InsideBitcoins.com+14Gate.com+14.
