Written by Nishel âď¸
Iâve always considered myself a lucky person in life in general, and getting into the crypto world was just another stroke of that luck. Itâs never Easy âhundreds of projects can shatter your dreams in a second and take all your money with just one click. I saw a lot of that firsthand in my early days, even if it didnât happen to me directly.
I canât lie and say that my journey started (partly) directly with Solana, because after all these years in the space, like everyone else, I went for what was trending at the time: Ethereum. However, despite supporting the person who was âand still isâ my mentor, sooner rather than later, he ended up guiding me toward SOL. Our real introduction happened thanks to a giveaway from someone I no longer see on my feed, who was raffling off 0.2 solanas, which I won. That was our first real interaction because practice is very different from theory, but there we were. As the months passed, we discovered projects we loved, some that were just quick flips, and others that wrecked us too⌠But I donât want to drag out an introduction that, in the end, leads me to a particular project that, in fact, was born on the Ethereum network: Pudgy Penguins.
We all know their story: launched in August 2021 with a collection of 8,888 NFTs, they made a big splash and were welcomed with excitement, seemingly destined for success⌠until their downfall began. A team that didnât deliver, that failed to keep promises (like so many others), and that couldnât handle everything⌠until Luca Netz came along. A natural leader, someone with a passion for what Pudgies represented. He took the reins of a community that seemed forgotten in the Ethereum space, restoring trust and transforming them into a global brand. Not just a web3 sensation but something that extended far beyond, reaching people who had no idea we even existed, winning their hearts with toys and plushies of those adorable penguins, a love story worthy of a romance novel with a happy ending between Polly and Pax. Clothing, collaborationsâover time, all of it only fueled their growing popularity.
But this isnât about that. Itâs not about how much money an NFT can earn you, how profitable it can be, but rather about passion, vision, and convictionâthe determination to lift a project that everyone thought was doomed. But it wasnât.
What their team accomplished ânot just in that network but also when they decided to launch their $PENGU token (which is where I truly come in, and why Iâve given all this context)â on a completely different blockchain, was remarkable. A blockchain often criticized for supposedly not handling high transaction volumes without stopping working, yet one where Luca saw an opportunity.
Once again, I was lucky enough to receive an airdrop for being an OG in Solana for using its blockchain early and earning a share of it. Proudly, even after the considerable drop in value, I remain a holder of my tokens, standing under the same belief in seeing a community grow. Because his team and Luca himself work tirelessly every day to move forwardânot just within two blockchains but also in building their own (Abstract) to reach even more people looking for new opportunities. Iâm still here, tied to and committed to them not just because of what theyâve done before, but because of what they continue to do now. Because the bridge they built between web3 and real life is something Iâve never seen in any other collection, despite others attempting it. Iâm still here because, like many people who donât know anything about crypto, chart reading, or collectible images, I deeply relate to the everyday moments and stories that their own Pudgies live through, the love that Polly has for Pax, the fun and sometimes silly personalities they have.
Itâs not just about âenjoyingâ what their token on Solana can offer in the future âthe potential earnings are always welcomeâ but also about enjoying their popular content, created for everyone: kids, teens, and adults alike. I admire how Luca took marketing to another level, how the community kept participating without losing hope, how the team never turned their backs even in a world where trust is hard to maintainâespecially when so many want to do a CTO and pretend theyâll take it to the moon.
Iâm still here with the same conviction that led Luca to take control and lead, as he should, a community that was filled with hope and held onto their NFTsâjust like I didâon that other blockchain. And I know many are still doing the same on Solana.
And even though Pudgy Penguins werenât born on SOL, the fact that they chose this place to launch $PENGU speaks loud about what they truly stand forâalways expanding, always seeking growth, never stagnant, never giving up. And what better way to showcase everything theyâve achieved than with their own series of collectibles?
Iâm still here, a Polly hopelessly in love with her own Pax, and fortunately also the same crypto girl who holds onto her tokens until the endâright alongside her degen, the one who led her to Solana in the first place.
And Iâm forever deeply grateful that people like Luca still existâpeople willing to give everything for a community that has supported them from the start. A community built on love for Pudgyâs art, its originality, and its everyday life. đ
Twitter: @_NishelSolami