Gary Vee’s VeeFriends and the New Way to Build IP on Social Media
What happens when an entrepreneur with a massive personal brand turns his doodles into a full-blown franchise? That’s the story of VeeFriends. Below you’ll find a laid-back walkthrough of how the project grew from hand-drawn NFTs to a Topps Chrome trading-card set on GameStop shelves. Along the way we’ll pit VeeFriends against classics like Pokémon, Hello Kitty, and Disney… plus the modern juggernaut Bluey. Use the insights as a cheat-sheet for your own brand or IP dream.
Phase 1: NFTs That Built a Fanbase Overnight
In May 2021 Gary dropped VeeFriends Series 1: 10,255 NFTs, each tied to a feel-good trait like Empathy Elephant or Patient Panda. Buying one wasn’t just flexing digital art. It unlocked three years of access to VeeCon, a private business-meets-music festival for holders. That utility turned buyers into brand evangelists, hanging out on Discord, swapping tips, and cheering every new announcement.
Phase 2: A Bigger Tent with Series 2, Book Games, and VeeCon’s Debut
Spring 2022 brought Series 2 (55,555 NFTs) with slick 3-D art plus 15 new characters. Whitelisting hinged on Book Games tokens that came free if you pre-ordered Gary’s book Twelve and a Half. Smart move: it bridged Web3 die-hards and paperback readers in one shot. One month later the first VeeCon landed in Minneapolis, giving the community selfies, keynotes, and instant FOMO for anyone outside the gates.
Phase 3: Crossing from Digital to Physical
Gary knew kids and parents still love something they can hug or trade. By late 2022 plush toys and vinyl figures hit Macy’s and revived Toys“R”Us aisles. Scan a QR code on the tag and you land on a short animated clip. That phygital loop keeps the IP top of mind long after checkout. The same year brought the first trading cards with Fanatics’ zerocool plus a VeeFriends-branded UNO deck via Mattel. Collectors love the chase and Gary speaks fluent collector culture, so cards were a no-brainer.
Phase 4: Storytelling Levels Up
Toys are cute, but stories lock in emotional loyalty. In 2023 VeeFriends teamed with kids’ studio Moonbug to launch a free YouTube Kids cartoon. Episodes run three minutes, feel like SpongeBob energy with a social-emotional twist, and drop weekly. A HarperCollins picture book lands summer 2024, pushing characters onto family bookshelves.
Phase 5: VeeFriends Chrome Shines in Hobby Shops
May 2025: Topps Chrome VeeFriends arrives. One hundred characters receive the same glossy treatment as MLB rookies and Pokémon sparkles. Hobby boxes launch online while blaster boxes drop in 992 GameStop stores, meaning random shoppers now rip packs and meet Empathy Elephant for the first time. Gary calls it “a movie” because it officially graduates VeeFriends into mainstream collector culture.
How Does VeeFriends Stack Up?
Pokémon
- Game-first, TV-second, merchandising everywhere
- Mass media rollout created ubiquity within a year of launch
- Parallel trading-card craze kept every generation hooked
Hello Kitty
- Merchandise icon without a major narrative for decades
- Relies on licensing breadth: from pencils to airline jets
- Proof you can rule pop culture purely through design appeal
Disney
- Storytelling powerhouse with vertical distribution (films, parks, streaming)
- Deep character arcs fuel multi-generational loyalty and huge merchandise sales
- Owns real-world destinations that cement emotional memories
Bluey
- Streaming era breakout via Disney+, YouTube clips, and social memes
- Short, heartfelt episodes connect equally with kids and parents
- Rapid global merch success shows speed possible with modern platforms
VeeFriends
- NFT launch turned fans into stakeholders on day one
- Omnichannel: toys, cards, books, and a YouTube cartoon inside three years
- Founder’s personal brand drives community intimacy and constant buzz
10 Takeaways for Aspiring IP Creators
- Start with community: use Discord, newsletters, or token-gated perks to make early fans feel special.
- Design one clear theme: VeeFriends pushes positivity; what single message defines your characters?
- Partner up fast: retail giants and toy makers lend instant credibility and distribution.
- Mix digital and physical: a QR code on a plush can drive viewers to your latest short-form video.
- Keep content snackable: three-minute cartoons work perfectly for attention-starved feeds.
- Let collectors play: cards, pins, or limited drops spark repeat engagement and social sharing.
- Ship updates weekly: momentum beats perfection. Announce, release, learn, repeat.
- Show the journey: behind-the-scenes clips build authenticity and recruit future collaborators.
- Study the legends: borrow Pokémon’s multi-medium strategy but adapt it to TikTok culture.
- Think decades but act daily: Gary talks 55-year vision yet posts updates every morning.
Wrapping Up
VeeFriends proves you can launch new intellectual property from the back of a sketchpad if you combine community, tech, and relentless follow-through. Whether you are crafting the next kid-friendly mascot or a universe of collectible heroes, the blueprint is clear: build a tribe, meet fans on every platform, and keep the story authentic. If Gary Vee can walk a Sharpie drawing all the way to Topps Chrome in four years, imagine what your idea might do with the same playbook.