From Bankruptcy to $50 Million: How Plush Toys Revived Pudgy Penguins 🐧 Three years ago, Pudgy Penguins was on the brink of bankruptcy. CEO Luca Schnetzler (aka Luca Netz) acquired the project for $2.5 million in ETH in April 2022, just before the Terra crash devastated NFTs. Netz knew the limited viability of Web3 platforms alone, but he knew the toy industry inside and out. His bold move into physical plush toys not only generated revenue for the brand, but also transformed it into a powerful revenue generator. Today, Pudgy Penguins projects revenue of $50 million by 2025. The reserve price of its NFTs has rebounded significantly from less than 1 ETH to over 15 ETH. How They Succeeded: Toys are a Lifeline – Plush toys sold by major retailers maintain the brand's cash flow and visibility. Holders Earn Royalties – NFT holders receive a 5% royalty on net sales of the toys. Instagram surpasses crypto Twitter—nearly 2 million Instagram followers bring mainstream media influence and retailer interest. The result? The NFT survival blueprint: real-world products + community incentives = staying power. Pudgy Penguin (PENGU) is no longer just an NFT collection. It's a brand with cultural and commercial potential, and could even become a future cryptocurrency mascot. #pengu #PudgyPenguins #MEME