“Come and join me in Decentraland because the metaverse is better with friends.” Tangpoko says this is how she usually finishes a panel or a talk about the metaverse. She is the owner of House of Tang, creator of a Decentraland night club called “Dollhouse”, and a founding member of the “Babydolls''.
How did Tangpoko find Decentraland? She told me it began soon after she developed an interest in NFTs. Around this time she heard about Chris Torres selling Nyan Cat for $600,000 in March 2021. She also learned about Krista Kim’s immersive art house called “Mars House”. Tangpoko really loved that an NFT could be more than a 2D image, that it could be a 3D space.
“A few years ago I started a 3D computer graphics company.” She wanted to create her own immersive spaces like Mars House that she could enjoy and invite others to experience with her. She needed somewhere to put these virtual places so she started looking at Somnium Space and Decentraland which had an active community on Reddit.
She reached out via Reddit to a Decentraland builder named Archonomous. A month later Tangpoko had rented a parcel from him, learned about Mana, and how to deploy her build on that parcel. Her creative team produced, released, and sold architectural NFTs like MAGNA 01 and PSILOCYBIA 01. Tangpoko also began to publish wearables like “This Little Piggy,” a “helmet” class item with a “Mythic” rarity, meaning there are only ten copies available, and “HypnoVision”.
By October 2021 she had published her Neon x Lace Corset and Thigh High Boots in time for the first ever Metaverse Festival in Decentraland. “I noticed that there were not a lot of outfits for me to wear as a female. I wanted something sexy that I’d like to wear.” This collection was used as her first Twitter giveaway. “I was terrified.”
Looking back, Tangpoko said that the Metaverse Festival was a “transformational point”. She and her new Decentraland friend, GHRocks, spent all their time at the Festival together. “It made the experience that much more fun for me, having a friend to travel with. I had been basically exploring alone up to that point.” At the Festival, the possibility of seeing Fewocious or Paris Hilton among the estimated 50,000 people gave everyone “this shared experience where we might say, ‘Did you see deadmau5?’ ‘Oh wow that was amazing.’ You had this thing that connected you with others and it was really easy to go into other conversations.”
A few weeks after the Festival Tangpoko met SinfulMeatSticks and Father Fin. These new friends saw her as a strong woman in Decentraland and encouraged her to keep creating. In December she published a new collection called “Hot Pink Neon Babydoll Set”. She remembers unveiling the outfit to her friends. “They told me, ‘Everything will be different now.’ and it was!” She described it as “the first ultra-feminine outfit in Decentraland.”
The very next day when the collection was released a few people like Canessa and ManaWitch bought it. “Later that night, coincidentally we were all at a club, found each other and started dancing together.” A crowd formed around them and commented on their outfits.
It happened again the next night. The group of women danced together. “Everybody was going kinda crazy.” explained Tangpoko. A couple of other people including Father Fin bought the collection. They went to more parties and danced. “It went viral.” she said. “People in the crowd started calling them the “Babydolls” because of the outfits they were wearing.”We were sort of known for bringing the party and bringing the vibe.”
“We realized people showed up where we were. So we made a targeted effort to think about the artists and events that we wanted and aligned with our values.” said Tangpoko. It was not long after that that she decided that the “Babydolls needed their own headquarters.” She and the group of women reasoned that they, “could throw events for the community and for projects that we wanted to support and to uplift people in the community.
With the same team that created the architectural NFTs, they created “Dollhouse”. Tangpoko deployed it on part of the estate owned by Banquet. At their grand opening, on February 1, 2022, the “Babydolls,” with Banquet’s assistance booked an all-female DJ line up. “There was an incredible outpouring of support from the community.” They’ve been producing and hosting multiple events every week since then.
In a Decentraland DAO grant application posted October 24, 2022, Tangpoko lists 34 artists that “Dollhouse” has presented. She estimated there have been over 120 events there. For example, “multicultural events like the two-day Latin Festival” and “Inclusive events such as the Pride Party with Baby Yors”. They Babydolls have also collaborated with brand name companies like Jägermeister and Absolut
“Dollhouse” holds weekly events like “Wagmi Wednesday” which is a month long, limited engagement, for Web2 musical artists. Sometimes those same artists will be featured on “Beyond the NFT,” hosted by SinfulMeatSticks, where the community can get to know them better. Tangpoko’s and the Babydolls’ goal for Dollhouse is “being a safe space and continuing to cultivate that culture of belonging that is so important.” She told me that the Babydolls present themselves as, “A group of like-minded content creators focusing on inclusivity.”
Who: Tangpoko
What: Creator and Event Manager of the Dollhouse
Where: -103,-97