‘The Simpsons’ Skewered NFTs—But Not Before Cashing In on the Craze

The latest episode of “The Simpsons” skewered NFTs in front of millions of home viewers on Sunday—but before the tech became a viral, television punchline, the seminal show released two NFTs that fans could purchase and trade.

Offered in November 2021 through Disney and the digital collectibles marketplace VeVe, “The Simpsons” immortalized Bart and Homer, and the long-time ne’er-do-well’s skateboard, as NFTs—which sold out globally for $60 apiece.

“This Golden Moment between father and son embodies the spirit of ‘The Simpsons’ in a first-ever NFT,” a description of one collectible states, just below a depiction of Homer and Bart choking each other at arm’s length.

Cloaked in gold, the collectibles—which consist of 3D models—were billed as “a very special addition to any collector’s showroom,” according to a press release from VeVe. Offered in promotion of Disney+, the NFTs came with a 3-month subscription to the media monolith’s streaming service.

Get ready for a non-fungible night in tomorrow’s #TreehouseOfHorror XXXIV on @FOXTV, next day on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/Y4cSiyp4kD

— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) November 4, 2023

While the Disney+ Gold Moments collection tapped several regions of the entertainment giant’s intellectual property rights empire—Star Wars, Marvel, and the likeness of Walt Disney himself—the writers of “The Simpsons” appear to be standout skeptics among the bunch.

In the episode that aired Sunday, Marge must kill countless NFTs to save Bart from “the blockchain.” And much like a diamond-wielding dog (Poochie, an iconic “Simpsons” character) that she faces off against at some point, the NFTs offered by “The Simpsons” had a gaudy, gold-plated appearance.

It appears the reference did not go unnoticed by VeVe.

“We saw that,” it said on Twitter while tagging the show’s official account and sharing a screenshot of the aforementioned digital canine.

We saw that @TheSimpsons 😉 pic.twitter.com/nBAQEjJmyp

— VeVe | Digital Collectibles (@veve_official) November 6, 2023

According to VeVe’s marketplace, “The Simpsons” NFTs can be traded for gems that are purchased from its website for a dollar each. As of this writing, the cheapest Homer & Bart and Skateboard collectibles are offered for 118 and 143 gems, respectively.

The rendition of Homer & Bart was limited to 12,333 in terms of its total supply, while the Skateboard was relatively scarce at just 6,333 NFTs. Both sold out in the initial sale, generating over $1.1 million worth of revenue.

Since it launched in 2018, VeVe has offered digital collectibles from several big-name brands other than Disney, including DC Comics and Warner Bros. The marketplace once used its own private blockchain, but it announced a shift to the Ethereum layer-2 scaling network Immutable X in 2021, pointing to the network’s speed and efficiency in a press release.

NFTs Are Back? Sales Jump 32% in October, Led by Ethereum

The company announced it was offering digital collectibles for “Sesame Street” in March, a first-ever for the longtime kids show that was available only through its mobile app. A press release states that, using augmented reality (AR) tech, NFT owners can interact with VeVe’s collectibles in 3D through their mobile phones.

Even though its digital collectibles live on through VeVe’s marketplace, “The Simpsons” signaled the end could be nigh for NFTs in its episode’s closing remarks—right as real-world sales start perking up.

“The NFT craze is over,” a character that appeared to be Nyan Cat said to Homer—the classic internet meme’s Pop-Tart torso was swapped for a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Edited by Andrew Hayward