Crypto Gloss

Doodles

Doodles is a 10,000-piece NFT collection on Ethereum launched in October 2021 featuring colorful, hand-drawn pastel characters — created by artists Burnt Toast (Scott Martin), Poopie, and Tulip — that distinguished itself through a community-governed treasury and an ambitious push to become a mainstream entertainment IP, culminating in a high-profile partnership with Pharrell Williams and collaborations with McDonald’s.

The Collection

Doodles characters feature pastel-colored humanoid figures with various traits — facial expressions, backgrounds, hats, clothing, and accessories. The art style is deliberately warm and approachable compared to grittier or more aggressive aesthetics of other NFT collections. Each doodle is hand-drawn rather than algorithmically assembled from photograph-quality components.

The collection sold out at 0.123 ETH per token. Floor prices rose substantially in the 2021–2022 NFT bull run, with rare tokens selling for hundreds of ETH.

Community Treasury (Doodlebank)

A portion of secondary sale royalties flowed into the Doodlebank — a community-controlled treasury. Holders voted on fund allocation: community events, merchandise, brand partnerships, and other initiatives. This governance model gave holders a meaningful stake in the project’s trajectory and differentiated Doodles from collections where all decisions were made by the founding team.

Entertainment Expansion

Doodles pursued a more ambitious mainstream strategy than most NFT projects. In 2022–2023, the team raised significant capital from investors including Accel Partners and announced plans to develop Doodles into a multi-platform entertainment brand — targeting animation, music, and consumer products.

Key moves:

  • Pharrell Williams partnership — the musician and producer took on the Chief Brand Officer role and released a music project connected to Doodles, bringing genuinely mainstream press attention
  • McDonald’s collaboration — a holiday promotional campaign expanding Doodles’ consumer brand reach
  • Doodles 2 — a companion collection with dynamic, customizable traits
  • Cross-platform expansion — plans beyond Ethereum’s base layer

Market Performance and Challenges

Like all major NFT collections, Doodles experienced significant floor price declines from its 2022 peaks. The entertainment strategy — designed partly to give Doodles value beyond speculative floor price dynamics — was slow to show returns.

The mainstream push also created tension with the original NFT collector community, who sometimes felt the brand was moving away from its crypto-native roots. This was a tension many “blue chip” NFT projects navigated in 2023–2024.

History

  • October 17, 2021 — Doodles launches on Ethereum at 0.123 ETH; sells out quickly
  • 2021–2022 — Floor prices rise substantially during the NFT bull market; rare tokens reach hundreds of ETH
  • 2022 — Accel Partners investment; team announces entertainment brand strategy
  • 2022 — Pharrell Williams named Chief Brand Officer; music project connected to Doodles released
  • 2022–2023 — McDonald’s holiday campaign; Doodles 2 companion collection announced
  • 2022–2024 — NFT bear market; floor prices decline with broader market; entertainment strategy timeline extends

Common Misconceptions

  • “Doodles are algorithmically generated like most PFP NFTs.” — Doodles are hand-drawn by artist Burnt Toast (Scott Martin), not algorithmically assembled from layers. This is a deliberate artistic choice that distinguishes the collection aesthetically.
  • “The Pharrell Williams partnership made Doodles a successful entertainment brand.” — The partnership generated significant press and credibility, but translating NFT IP into mainstream entertainment revenue has proven difficult for all projects in the space.

Social Media Sentiment

  • r/NFT / r/ethereum: Doodles is referenced as one of the more artistically distinctive blue-chip NFT collections; the entertainment strategy generates ongoing debate about whether NFT projects can successfully transition to mainstream IP.
  • X/Twitter: Doodles team and Pharrell Williams maintain active presences; the collection generates discussion during NFT cycle peaks and around new partnership announcements.
  • Discord (Doodles): One of the better-governed NFT Discord communities during the bull market; community treasury votes drew genuine holder engagement.

Last updated: 2026-04

Related Terms

See Also

  • Bored Ape Yacht Club — the dominant blue-chip PFP NFT collection; Doodles competed in the same collector tier
  • CryptoPunks — earlier landmark NFT collection establishing the PFP archetype Doodles operates within
  • Azuki — contemporaneous blue-chip PFP collection with a distinct anime-inspired aesthetic

Sources