When NFTs boomed in late 2021, one collection hit incredible highs – and although it saw a dramatic fall, their commitment has seen the collection transform into a rapidly-growing entertainment powerhouse.
That collection is Cool Cats.
In just 3 years, they’ve gone from an unknown cartoon character to a premiere brand that spans animations, manga, physical collectibles and more – but how did they get there?
Here’s our complete 2024 guide to Cool Cats.
What is Cool Cats?
Cool Cats is a collection of 9,999 cartoon-style NFT avatars on Ethereum. Each avatar features the Blue Cat character with a fusion of traits, such as clothing, hairstyles, accessories and more.
The collection was created by a four-strong team:
- Colin Egan (Clon): Chief artist, and the creator of Blue Cat.
- Evan Luza (Elu): Creative director.
- Tom Williamson (xtremetom): Blockchain expert, and technical lead.
- Rob Mehew (Lynqoid): Project manager, overseeing daily operations.
Tom and Rob departed Cool Cats in April 2023, whilst Clon and Elu are still with the brand to this day.
The ideas behind Cool Cats began with illustrations Clon made in high school, and the Blue Cat character can be traced back over 10 years ago. Multiple iterations and changes were made during that time, eventually landing on the character we know today.
The history of Cool Cats
Cool Cats minted on July 1, 2021, priced at 0.06 ETH each (around $150 USD at the time). Only 300 NFTs were initially sold, leading the team to reduce the price to 0.02 ETH (around $50 USD) – and the collection subsequently sold out in just 8 hours.
Eight days after launch, boxing legend Mike Tyson changed his Twitter profile picture to a Cool Cat NFT, with other celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Alexis Ohanian and Steve Aoki doing the same, giving the collection a huge initial boost.
Early 2022 sawCool Cats create the Cool Pets companion collection, with 19,999 unique companion NFTs. Half were reserved for Cool Cats holders, with the rest were available to the public. Each pet started as an egg which – through interacting with the Cooltopia online platform – could hatch into a pet with one of four elements: Grass, Fire, Water, or Air.
Alongside Cool Pets came $MILK, an ecosystem token for Cool Cats. Holders earned $MILK by completing daily quests, or by owning a Cool Cat NFT. Both Cooltopia and $MILK were retired in July 2023.
By March 2022, Cool Cats was well-known as one of the top NFT projects, ranking 11th in all-time sales with over $290 million USD in transactions, and hitting an all-time high floor price of $92,000 USD.
June 2022 saw Cool Cats create Cooltopia in the flesh in New York City, during an in-person pop-up. September 2022 saw former Disney and Warner Bros SVP Stephen Teglas join as CEO – and though his tenure was short-lived, he drove a new look for the brand that gave them strong foundations for future success.
The rest of 2022 and early 2023 saw a partnership with OneFootball for Cool Cats FC, the debut of SideKX and Shadow Wolves as new companion NFTs, and the announcement of a major partnership with Futureverse.
November 2023 saw Cool Cats feature as part of Macy’s 2023 Thanksgiving Day Parade, watched by an estimated 28.5 million people around the world.
That month also saw the debut of “The Milk Chug”, the inaugural animated series from Cool Cats, created by animation studio Titmouse. The series officially premiered in September 2024, with the release of weekly episodes over an expected 13-episode debut season.
Cool Cats grew further in July 2024, announcing a partnership with Kodansha – best known for publishing Akira and Attack on Titan – to produce a serialised manga series based on the Blue Cat character.
Despite all of this success, it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. The partnership with Futureverse has been widely criticised, especially after the cancellation of their first major game project in summer 2023. With much of the core team departing shortly thereafter, backlash only increased, with some questioning Cool Cats’ commitment to their holders and the web3 community at large.
What’s next for Cool Cats?
Clon’s goal is to see Blue Cat become a cartoon icon, and Cool Cats is his best opportunity yet at being able to do that.
Cool Cats signed with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in March 2022, and it’s clearer that the focus of Cool Cats is on building mainstream cultural appeal.
Whilst details are under wraps, the team has hinted at a number of future developments:
- Cooltopia: Although their Sapphire Town game was cancelled, new interactive experiences are expected to be delivered.
- Physical goods: Cool Cats has always produced quality physical goods, and fans eagerly await more to come.
- Animations: Should Series 1 of The Milk Chug be a success, we are likely to see further animations featuring Blue Cat.
- Live events: Cooltopia 2022 at NFT.NYC was well received, with both fans and holders excited for future in-person experiences.
Cool Cats may not have the floor price of contemporaries such as Bored Apes, Pudgy Penguins and Azuki, but with their manga, animated series and more, their prominence continues to rise.
Clon has built a stellar community, and one that believes in him, his vision, and the potential of Blue Cat. With The Milk Chug gathering impressive viewership – Episode 5 gathering over 100,000 views in 48 hours – fans hope to see Cool Cats stand alongside leading entertainment icons not just in web3, but in all of pop culture.
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