Pudgy Penguins, a globally recognized non-fungible token brand known for creating NFT-inspired toys, has expanded into soccer through significant NFT partnerships with two leading football clubs. Pudgy Penguins NFT team, which partnered with Spain’s soccer club CD Castellón last year, has now partnered with England’s Premier League soccer club Manchester City. This article explores this expansion journey further.
Pudgy Penguins' Journey From Digital Collectibles to Physical Toys
Launched in July 2021, Pudgy Penguins is a digital asset incubation studio known for creating a globally recognized non-fungible token collection featuring a fixed set of 8,888 unique digital penguin characters on the Ethereum blockchain network. The brand also encompasses Lil Pudgy, a non-fungible token series with a fixed supply of 22,222 smaller NFTs hosted on the Ethereum blockchain network. Additionally, Pudgy Rod, a companion collection of fishing rod NFTs, was airdropped to original holders in 2021 and now functions as a multiplier within the ecosystem. Soulbound tokens, such as 'Opensea x Penguins SBTs', were also launched to recognize community engagement, loyalty, and licensing participation.
Pudgy Penguins entered the physical retail space in May 2023 with the release of its first line of toys. Initially launched online through Amazon, the collection sold over 20,000 units in its first 48 hours and generated more than $500,000 USD in sales, demonstrating strong demand beyond the NFT community. Later that year, the toys were stocked in more than 2,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. Within 12 months of launching, over 1 million plushies had been sold worldwide. These plushies are now available in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Hong Kong.
Pudgy Penguins Dives Deeper Into Soccer
Pudgy Penguins NFT team partnered with the Spanish soccer club CD Castellón in January 2025 to feature their characters on the team’s official jerseys and shorts. As part of this collaboration, an open edition NFT was released, and some holders of that NFT were eligible to be featured in some way related to the partnership. Pudgy Penguins and Lil Pudgys characters appeared directly on CD Castellón’s jerseys.
CD Castellón🇪🇸 x Pudgy Penguins🐧 https://t.co/DgPV0URVMzpic.twitter.com/7jb2Ww8BJ9
— Football Shirt News🌍 (@Footy_ShirtNews) January 24, 2025
In more recent news, the Pudgy Penguins NFT team has announced a “landmark partnership” with English Premier League champions Manchester City to launch a premium co-branded NFT line targeted at an adult audience. This move is considered one of the highest-profile crossovers between a web3-native brand and a global sports giant, aimed at bringing the Pudgy Penguins intellectual property to a massive, mainstream audience. The merchandise drop was scheduled for January 17, 2026.
These ventures are part of the Pudgy Penguins’ broader strategy to evolve beyond their digital origins and toy lines into a mainstream, global intellectual property (IP) through real-world utility and high-profile brand building, bridging the gap between digital assets and traditional markets. This integration will provide tangible ways for NFT holders to feel part of the brand’s journey, reinforcing holder identity and community.