The Walt Disney Company is now selling Mickey Mouse as a non-fungible token (or NFT) in just the latest radical change it has made to its iconic mascot.
Disney and Mickey Mouse are essentially synonymous, with Walt Disney’s round-eared rodent being one of the most recognizable brand images in history. While the company has historically been incredibly protective of how Mickey is used, it seems the financial pressure Disney is under is causing the House of Mouse to make some unusual decisions about the mascot.
Related: Disney Unveils Changed Mickey Mouse Immediately After Retiring Classic
Disney’s Mickey Mouse NFT
Cryptoys, a digital toy company, has announced that it is partnering with Disney to produce Mickey Mouse NFT collectibles to sell as part of a “Mickey and Friends” collection.
In addition to Mickey Mouse, Cryptoys says that “15 limited-edition Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Pluto collectible digital toys (plus accessories) will arrive this September in a one-of-a-kind unboxing experience.” The collection will reportedly have five different levels of “rarity” for collectors: Common, Rare, Legendary, Grail, and Ultra Grail.
🥁Drumroll please….
We’re incredibly excited to announce our next drop!
That’s right @Disney fans: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse & Pluto will be the newest digital toys in the Cryptoyverse this September. Official details, sneak peeks & more coming soon! pic.twitter.com/2cSCFkWWIP
— Cryptoys ⚡️👾 (@Cryptoys) August 28, 2023
Apparently, Disney collectors who complete their Mickey Mouse NFT can also get an “Ultra Grail Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey,” presumably modeled after the character’s appearance in the iconic sequence in Fantasia (1940).
Cryptoys is backed by the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and the Disney Mickey Mouse NFT collectibles are on the FLOW blockchain. Cryptoys CEO Will Weinraub says this Disney partnership will be “the first time people will experience Mickey Mouse in this way,” which certainly seems true enough.
Disney and Collectibles
This is not the first time that Disney has partnered with Cryptoys. Last year, the companies partnered for a similar NFT set based on Star Wars, which included digital icons of Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker.
Cryptoys has also worked with Mattel for a Master of the Universe set, so it really seems like someone at the company has good connections.
In some ways, the Mickey Mouse NFT collection is not dissimilar from the famous Disney Pins that fans have traded for years, although it, of course, has no physical presence and must be maintained on a digital blockchain.
Disney has been experimenting with the controversial NFT format in recent years, releasing the “Golden Moment” collections with Veve, based on IPs like The Simpsons, Marvel, and Pixar.
However, getting Mickey Mouse directly involved is a pretty big step into the world of crypto and indicative of the company’s increasingly aggressive pursuit of new income flow.
Related: Disneyland Is Erecting a New Tribute to Retired Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse’s Future
Mickey Mouse was semi-retired by Disney recently in anticipation of the “Steamboat Willie” version of the character entering the public domain.
While the company still has rights to other versions of Mickey, it seems Disney is going to do everything it can to maximize selling him. We’ll just have to see how it figures out how to sell the Mouse of its House next.
Do you think a Disney Mickey Mouse NFT is going too far? Let us know in the comments below!
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