Antoine Mingo’s Departure from Pudgy Penguins

Antoine Mingo left his role as a concept artist for the popular Ethereum NFT collection Pudgy Penguins in early 2023 due to creative differences with leadership. He is now leading the art for a new NFT project called Burrrs on the buzzworthy layer-1 network Berachain, allowing him the creative freedom he sought since entering the industry.

The Washington-based artist joined Pudgy Penguins in 2021 through gig-work platform Upwork, during which founder Cole Thereum was at the helm. Initially consulting, Mingo created 8,888 NFT profile pictures for the Ethereum project amidst surging demand for NFTs, leading to unexpected success.

Soon, work flooded in for Mingo, who transitioned from Web2 to Web3 as numerous projects approached him. He remained an artist for Pudgy Penguins even after a controversial incident in 2022 where Cole emptied the project’s treasury and was removed. The collection was later acquired by entrepreneur Luca Netz.

However, creative differences began to emerge. Mingo stated, “My style just wasn’t clicking with them. Even the simple things, like the flippers.” He proposed a vision inspired by Cartoon Network’s “The Amazing World of Gumball,” which the new leadership did not accept. Consequently, he left Pudgy Penguins in early 2023.

Mingo commented, “I think you could see it in the art… there will be a difference.” Despite his departure, he has pursued more opportunities in crypto as Pudgy Penguins evolved into a consumer brand, selling toys in Walmart and Target while launching a Solana meme coin called PENGU and an Ethereum layer-2 network called Abstract.

Maintaining a positive relationship with Pudgy Penguins’ leadership, Mingo receives no special benefits from his past role. He expressed enjoyment in his venture into crypto but voiced frustration over limited creative freedom in subsequent projects, stating, “It creates for better storytelling.”

Now, as a founding member and creative lead for the upcoming Burrrs NFT collection, set to release on Magic Eden for 4.2 BERA each (approximately $34), Mingo feels a renewed sense of comfort in expressing his artistic vision. “Honestly, I’m excited to see the reaction we get,” he shared.

Reflecting on his experience, Mingo acknowledged that the original Pudgy Penguins collection was not perfect, admitting to ongoing frustrations about its flaws. Despite this, its success taught him valuable lessons: “Things don’t have to be picture-perfect… you can create a story and just roll with the punches.” He described Pudgy Penguins as a chameleon, constantly evolving despite challenges, a testament to his learning journey.

Edited by Andrew Hayward