Pudgy Penguins Ink Book Deal with Top Publisher Random House

Non-fungible token (NFT) project Pudgy Penguins has announced another significant partnership today with Random House, one of the world’s largest publishing companies.

A children’s book titled “The Worst Birthday Present Ever” will be released through Random House Kids in November. The book is centered around a Lil Pudgy called Pongo, whose friends accidentally gift him real swords instead of balloon swords for his birthday, according to a release.

“We are so excited to introduce this adorable new picture book to the millions of devoted Pudgy Penguins fans, as well as new readers eager for more penguin-themed content,” said Sara Sargent, the Senior Executive Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers.

The book is Pudgy Penguins’ latest foray into mainstream media and culture, after launching its line of toys with retailers such as Walmart and Target in 2023 and 2024. The brand also touts a massive social media following, with 1.8 million followers on Instagram and 684,000 on TikTok.

The Pudgy Penguins, purchased by current CEO Luca Netz for 750 ETH in April 2022, have evolved from forgotten relics of 2021’s NFT summer into one of the top collections in the NFT space. The NFTs boast a 10 ETH ($25,000) floor price, only trailing the Bored Ape Yacht Club (13 ETH) and CryptoPunks (46 ETH) collections in the profile picture (PFP) segment.

The project also launched its PENGU ecosystem token on December 18, and the token currently trades at a $780 million market capitalization, with a $950 million fully diluted valuation. The prices of PENGU and Pudgy Penguins NFTs are relatively unchanged on today’s news.

In addition to its branded products, Pudgy Penguins’ parent company, Igloo Inc, is developing an Ethereum Layer 2 network, Abstract, which launched in January. Abstract has recorded slow but steady growth, and its total value locked (TVL) sits at $27 million, with $20 million in decentralized exchange (DEX) volume over the last 24 hours.