1/ Our previous character thread received rave reviews, so we’re back at it again. Today, we look at another billion dollar IP, @TheSimpsons, and what these characters could look like in the NFT market. What if, like Bart, a @BoredApeYC was @TIME’s person of the year? A 🧵...
2/ @TheSimpsons was created by newspaper cartoonist Matt Groening in 1987, and its popularity has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise today. The Simpsons have been featured in a variety of media, from comic books to video games to many popular memes.
3/ In 2008, $750 million worth of @TheSimpsons merchandise was purchased worldwide. Peter Byrne, @FoxNews executive VP of licensing and merchandising, called @TheSimpsons “the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop” in TV or film.
4/ Groening’s dysfunctional American family includes the legendary Bart Simpson - the name an anagram for the word “brat”. Forever in the fourth grade, riding around on his skateboard causing trouble in the town, worshipping Krusty the Clown, torturing his sister …
5/ In one episode, Lisa is upset when Bart gets adopted by another family, and her brother gets taken away. She screams, “I’m just trying to fill the void of random, meaningless destruction that Bart’s absence has left in our hearts.”
6/ Bart Simpson is part of our cultural commons - everyone knows @thesimpson characters, has their own take, and countless fans have used these characters in their work, further expanding and improving @TheSimpsons universe. #theSimpsons
7/ @TheSimpsons has also been celebrated over the years for its uncanny apparent ability to predict future events, often turned into memes by brilliant artists like @lushsux
8/ Bart began the 90’s as Entertainer of the Year. This decade, he could be the Person of the Year, brought to life once more as an iNFT. Imagine being able to interact with this curious and mischievous kid who we have followed across so many mediums. #Interoperability
9/ From the pages of a comic book to the blockchain, the Bart of tomorrow will be imbued with iNFT superpowers. He will tease you, discuss the stupidity of school with you, offering that characteristic Bart charm. #iNFT
10/ Beloved characters across the many worlds of entertainment will meet each other in the metaverse. iNFT Bart will interact not only with Lisa and his parents but with Spider-Man and Mickey Mouse. #metaverse #composablecharacters
11/ Bart will butt heads and share laughs with #cryptopunks. Maybe he’ll even be included in a @punkscomic
12/ Bart will try to sneak his way into the bathroom at the @BoredApeYC. There’s no stopping this hell-raiser, and the metaverse only means more trouble making ahead.
13/ Bart appeared on the cover of @TIME for their 1990 edition. In 1998, @TIME Magazine selected Bart as the 46th of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century - the only fictional character to make the list.
14/ Some fans may not know that Bart is voiced by a woman: @nancycartwright is one of the best paid voiceover actors, with a net worth of $80 million. Cartwright also voices Nelson Muntz and Ralph Wiggum.
15/ @nancycartwright published an autobiography called “My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy” that was later made into a play as well. She is estimated to make $300 thousand per episode.
16/ We at @real_alethea envision a future metaverse populated by such cherished characters as Bart and the entire population of the Simpsons. As fans and creators, we will continue to develop, teach and learn from characters as a community.
17/ This kind of decentralized storytelling is the future of character IP. iNFTs allow contributors and fans to directly benefit from the content they help create. This new IP restructures the market from being one based on competition to one of collaboration.
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