Nouns, an open-source intellectual property (IP) based around a series of Ethereum NFTs, is expanding into TV with “The Nouners,” an animated series for adults. And the series, which comes from independent creators and was initially funded through a grant from the Nouns DAO community, is sticking to its roots by selling the pilot episode through an NFT access pass.
“The Nouners” taps into the Nouns project’s colorful pixel characters—which are based on a wide array of items and creatures, all with boxy glasses (or “Noggles”)—to deliver a cartoon targeted at mature audiences. The absurdist vibe recalls offbeat hits like “South Park,” “Robot Chicken,” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”
With a lo-fi look to match the pixel avatars, the 11-minute pilot episode takes a decidedly meta approach, showing creators pitch varying projects to try and propagate the Nouns brand. Only here, they’re pitching to an all-powerful being with a “Wizard of Oz” type twist in the mix—plus ample profanity, sex, drugs, and other adult content along the way.
In reality, “The Nouners” was pitched to the Nouns DAO—the collective (or decentralized autonomous organization) of Nouns NFT owners that control a treasury of nearly $43 million worth of ETH as of this writing. That treasury helps fund projects, including toys, comic books, a parade float, and brand partnerships, among many other initiatives.
“The Nouners” hails from Executive Producer Mike Rekola and collaborators, who created a one-minute animatic and proposed the project to the DAO last August. Nouns was made using a Creative Commons 0 (CC0) license, so anyone can tap into the IP and create a project like this without the DAO’s approval. It’s fully open source.
However, in this case, the DAO approved the $15,000
