“His Dudeness, duder, or el duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.”
In the last post, we discussed “Forever PFP” selection principles. The Dude’s Toad, Monsieur Skywalker, comes from a collection called CrypToadz by Gremplin. Now, the Dude will walk you through how Monsieur Skywalker became his Forever PFP.
Community
To analyze community, let’s use the dual lens of:
- Where the community started
- Where the community is going
The Toadz community has a wickedly deceptive genesis not readily apparent to the untrained eye. Around the time of the Toadz launch in September 2021, significant frustration was brewing amongst OG CryptoPunk owners, frustrated that Larva Labs would not release commercial rights. CrypToadz became one of the first visually native CC0 projects to alleviate these concerns.
The community has friends in high places. The aforementioned composability with Nouns and other CC0 projects positions Toadz well for future deployment. CrypToadz are prominently featured in the galleries of DCInvestor, Richard Kim, and Curated Fund to name a few. Furthermore, the Discord is filled with artists endeavoring to make Toadz art, and the best part is that they don’t need to ask permission from anybody! CC0 and entirely composable.
Project Distinction
CrypToadz is a static project. Gremplin does not organize official airdrops or derivatives for holders.
The Dude appreciates that Toadz do not evolve. They simply exist. The Dude does not need to be concerned with roadmaps, engagement, or worry “where is the project going?!” The Dude does not stress. The Dude sits back comfortably, enjoying his generative art, photography, and indeed - Monsieur Skywalker as well.
The Dude lives a carefree life knowing Toadz just…are.
Rights Model
Toadz are CC0. For the Dude, this means he cannot get rugged. The Dude is not concerned with other people, artists, or brands using Monsieur Skywalker in any way they want. Why?
The Dude believes this can lead to only one, inextricably positive thing: perpetuate the meme of Monsieur Skywalker in the heads of all who see this fine, young, force hoodie Toad.
The Dude Likes the Toad
Most importantly, the Dude simply loves his Toad. Of particular note are two specific reasons: the ape body and the force hoodie.
The Dude was fortunate enough to purchase a BAYC very early. While the Dude may gripe and dislike some of Yuga Lab’s actions, Monsieur Gustave (name derived from Ralph Fiennes' fantastic character from the Grand Budapest Hotel) represents a key element in the Dude’s journey. Monsieur Skywalker’s body is a nod to Monsieur Gustave.
Lastly, the Dude will always be a Star Wars nerd. One of the Dude’s favorite books is The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and Luke Skywalker is a fantastic hero who took tremendous personal risk and saved the galaxy. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?! The force hoodie perfectly encapsulates that.
!vibe