The company aims to form strategic partnerships with major retailers.
If the Pudgy Penguins brand were to be likened to an island like Hawaii, it would be in the early stages of a lengthy transformation, where lava from the ocean floor is cooling and creating new land.
According to Steve Starobinsky, who joined in March to enhance Pudgy’s strategy in consumer packaged goods, this shift could take time, akin to how iconic beaches in Honolulu didn’t form overnight.
Starobinsky emphasized the importance of a measured approach, diverging from the impulsive tactics often adopted by many crypto-focused ventures, especially when engaging with large retailers.
For instance, he noted that purchase orders for the upcoming holiday season have already been finalized, following a major Los Angeles event for manufacturers and retailers.
Since its acquisition by CEO Luca Netz in 2022, Pudgy Penguins has positioned itself as a leader in the NFT domain. The brand is now focusing on expanding beyond the crypto space, empowering Starobinsky to explore an unfamiliar industry.
Currently, Pudgy’s strategy involves partnerships with well-known brands such as Bearbrick and PEZ, but Starobinsky anticipates a more significant presence by 2026, gearing up for an exciting growth phase.
Young Gon Kim is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of CR Today. Trained as a computer scientist in South Korea, he built CR Today to create an influential news outlet that pairs automated content production with human editorial oversight. He designs the editorial systems behind the site — source whitelist curation, search-intent title rewriting, and automated fact-source attachment — and is accountable for the publication's editorial policies, corrections, and AI usage disclosures.
