NFT/CRYPTO TOY Collectibles — WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE NFT SPACE?

4 min readFeb 15, 2021

Toys have long been something people collect and, in some cases, have proven to hold incredible long-term value. Pokemon cards are an obvious choice for example, especially now that they have been having a resurgence. Carebear and Barbie collectibles are other examples of toys that have held their value in the long term. More recent examples of toy collectibles include Bearbricks/Be@rbricks and Funko Pops. These more recent examples of toy collectibles have become cultural phenomenons, that are seen more as art pieces and are proving that toy collectibles are here to stay and can be great investments.

How do these Toy collectibles derive value?

Bearbricks/Be@rbricks and Funko Pops have derived their value from their use of pop culture, scarcity and hype. Often times these collectibles will play on nostalgia as well. These toys collectibles have been used in collaborations that have fetched outstanding prices. Bearbricks have had collaborations with brands like Chanel, Supreme, BAPE, Fragment Designs and several prominent artists. At the time of writing, there have been several Bearbricks sold between $2000 and well into the 10s of thousands. These have become art and furniture pieces to invest in for many people and have garnered and maintained longevity.

What are NFT Toy Collectibles?

In a sense, all Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are collectibles, but many artists and collectives are creating NFTs that follow a similar formula to ‘real-life’ collectibles. This involves the creation of iterations of a similar design that makes each piece both unique and part of a collection. Creators of NFT Toy collectibles produce value from their NFT Toy collectibles in very much the same way as their ‘real-life’ counterparts do. Each iteration of their pieces is a variation, and this uniqueness is what brings value. However, this uniqueness and the value it brings would be nothing without the story, narrative and aesthetic of the design of the collection as a whole. The differences between NFT Toy collectibles vs physical toy collectibles are the pace of production and accessibility. Whilst physical toy manufacturers have to produce their toy collectibles in a factory and need to factor in distribution, NFT Toy collectible creators are able to mint these NFTs and get them out to people within hours or less. Of course, the management of releases is key to the prescription of value and hype, but this pace is definitely an advantage. This, coupled with the accessibility NFTs provide, is unparallel to their ‘real-life’ counterparts as toy collectibles in real life often are far too expensive for many or are harder to purchase than NFTs due to the hype that surrounds them. Hence, the toy collectible market really serves to put out amazing collectibles that are not only attainable but can also hold their value. Moreover, the opportunities afforded through NFTs allows for creators to do things like creating NFT toy collectibles backed by a physical product. How much of the NFTs value can be held in the long run is yet to be seen, but as more and more people pile into the NFT space, the future looks bright for NFT Toy collectibles.

Toy Collectible Highlight — Erto

Erto is an NFT toy collectible that has garnered growing attention as of recent and has had 8 editions minted so far for its first season. These collectibles started as a passion project and a way to conduct personal research. The creator of Erto discovered the world of toy collectibles a few years ago and has since wondered how he could make one. Before creating NFT toy collectibles, Erto’s creator made a physical run that he gifted to friends during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to reconnect and keep in touch. It was also a way, as a building engineer by trade, to combine everything he loves, including crafting, modeling, illustration, branding and other skills he has honed.

The creator of Erto finds that NFTs allow for him to innovate new ideas quicker, propagate these among more people and have ultimately made Erto more popular. He has expressed that the physical design process is more time-intensive and distribution is very expensive. However, he is very much interested in working with both mediums. Erto’s creator has not shied away from the potential of having Erto NFTs backed by a physical product with the only obstacle being time. He has expressed his excitement for the space and how fast things are moving. There are some 1/1 Erto pieces soon to be released, of which we should all keep an eye out for.

Find and Purchase Your Own Erto NFTs here:

https://app.rarible.com/mynameiserto/onsale

Keep up with Erto and future drops here:

https://ello.co/my_name_is_erto

https://app.rarible.com/mynameiserto/onsale

https://twitter.com/myNameIsErto

https://www.instagram.com/my_name_is_erto/

Other NFT Toy Collectibles to keep an eye out for:

Harako Dolls

https://app.rarible.com/harako-dolls/onsale

https://www.instagram.com/harako.dolls/

https://twitter.com/DollsHarako