The latest episode of “The Simpsons” brought NFTs to the attention of millions of home viewers on Sunday, but before the technology became a viral television hit, the groundbreaking show released two NFTs for fans to buy and trade.
Offered in November 2021 through Disney and digital collectibles marketplace VeVe, “The Simpsons” immortalized Bart and Homer, and the old skateboard that’s malfunctioning, as NFTs — which sold out worldwide for $60 each.
“This golden moment between father and son embodies the spirit of ‘The Simpsons’ in a first-ever NFT,” reads a collectible description, just below an image of Homer and Bart strangling each other at arm’s length.
The collectibles, which consist of 3D models wrapped in gold, were billed as “a very special addition to any collector’s showroom,” according to a press release from VeVe. The NFTs, offered to promote Disney+, came with a three-month subscription to the media monolith’s streaming service.
Get ready for a non-fungible evening in tomorrow’s #TreehouseOfHorror XXXIV on @FOXTV, the next day on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/Y4cSiyp4kD
— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) November 4, 2023
While the Disney+ golden moments collection tapped into several regions of the entertainment giant’s intellectual property empire: Star Wars, Marvel and the Likeness of Walt Disney himself– the writers of ‘The Simpsons’ seem to be the most notable skeptics among the bunch.
In the episode that aired Sunday, Marge must kill countless NFTs to save Bart from “the blockchain.” And like a diamond-wielding dog (Poochie, an iconic “Simpsons” character) she has to deal with at one point, “The Simpsons” NFTs had a garish, gilded look.
It seems the reference did not go unnoticed by VeVe.
“We saw that,” it said on Twitter, tagging the show’s official account and sharing a screenshot of the aforementioned digital dog.
We saw that @TheSimpsons 😉 pic.twitter.com/nBAQEjJmyp
— VeVe | Digital Collectibles (@veve_official) November 6, 2023
According to VeVe’s marketplace, “The Simpsons” NFTs can be exchanged for gems purchased for a dollar each on the website. The cheapest at the time of writing Homer & Bart And Skateboard collectibles are offered for 118 and 143 gems respectively.
The Homer & Bart rendition was limited to 12,333 in terms of total supply, while the Skateboard was relatively scarce with only 6,333 NFTs. Both sold out on initial sales and generated over $1.1 million in revenue.
Since its launch in 2018, VeVe has offered digital collectibles from several major brands other than Disney, including DC Comics and Warner Bros. The marketplace once used its own private blockchain, but announced a shift to the Ethereum layer-2 scaling network Immutable press release.
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The company announced in March that it was offering digital collectibles for “Sesame Street,” a first for the longtime children’s show that was only available through its mobile app. a press release states that NFT owners will be able to interact with VeVe’s collectibles in 3D via their mobile phones using augmented reality (AR) technology.
While digital collectibles live on through VeVe’s marketplace, “The Simpsons” indicated in the episode’s closing remarks that the end could be near for NFTs — just as real-world sales are starting to perk up.
“The NFT craze is over,” a character who appeared to be Nyan Cat said to Homer – the classic internet meme‘s Pop-Tart torso was swapped for a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Edited by Andrew Hayward