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Building VeeFriends: A Pokémon meets Sesame Street intellectual property
Executive overview
Gary Vaynerchuk is building VeeFriends, a character-based IP he describes as a cross between Pokémon and Sesame Street, launched initially as an NFT project. The Halloween float in New York City's iconic parade marks a tangible milestone — from hand-drawn characters three years ago to a major public presence.
Building a lasting IP takes decades; early milestones are proof of direction, not arrival.
The VeeFriends IP strategy
- Launched as an NFT while publicly warning that 99% of NFTs would go to zero
- Now expanding into pins, stickers, and trading cards available on eBay
- Goal: build something at the scale of Marvel, Hello Kitty, or Pokémon
- Characters drawn by hand three years ago; float at NYC Halloween parade is the latest milestone
On following trends vs. acting on conviction
- Avoid chasing trends (crypto, cannabis, AI) without a grounded reason
- New directions should fit an existing strength or a long-held idea
- Staying curious is valuable; acting without conviction is not
The Halloween parade
- VeeFriends sponsored and entered a float in the NYC Halloween parade
- Parade brings the community together; Gary meets new VeeFriends holders at each event
- For a New York kid who watched the parade for 40 years, having a float was a career highlight
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