TL;DR: With a new update or NFT collection being released almost every day, it’s clear the crypto ecosystem is constantly evolving. Lazy Lions is one of the NFT collections paving the road to the digital universe — but it’s just the beginning. Knowing what brought it here and why it was created will lead you to make better decisions when investing or simply interacting with Lazy Lions.
In this article, we’re gonna dive into the Lazy Lions lore, answer all the Lazy Lions related questions and even more. Prepare yourself for a fantasy story and a journey to the future of Lazy Lions!
What is Lazy Lions?
Lazy Lions is an NFT collection of 10,000 pfps that live on the Ethereum blockchain.
Enter the arena kings and queens! In this fantasy universe, lions are the main protagonists. Lazy Lions are meant to be light-hearted, brave characters that could easily be part of an animated show – think of Alex, the lion from Madagascar.
The lore? It’s for the NFT holders to get to decide!
Owning an NFT is different than screenshotting a JPEG - just like holding an original Rembrandt is more valuable than owning a replica. As their name suggests, NFTs are non-fungible by design. This is different from digital tokens like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Fungible assets can be exchanged for another asset of the same type, much like BTC, ETH, or even fiat. NFTs, on the other hand, are unique assets where their ownership details are documented on the blockchain, ensuring digital scarcity and unique attributes for each asset.
But how exactly is digital scarcity being enforced?
The concept of NFTs first emerged in 2012 with the creation of Colored Coins, which could be used to represent real-world assets on the blockchain. However, Colored Coins only worked in a permitted environment, making it more similar to a database than anything else.
As the crypto industry became more popular, people have continued to experiment with the idea of a digitally scarce asset. This led to the creation of ERC-721 and ERC-1155.
The ERC-721 standard is like a set of rules for making NFTs. These actions help in making special tokens with their unique information, making them different from one another.
Behind the scenes, ERC-721 smart contracts keep a list of who owns which token, making it safe to pass tokens from one person to another. The contract also keeps count of how many tokens there are altogether and how many each person has.
As previously mentioned, Lazy Lions NFTs are secured by the Ethereum blockchain. Ownership and transaction history are publicly visible on the Ethereum blockchain along with other important info such as the NFT's metadata.
Understanding how to access an NFT's metadata is essential for holders to grasp the specifics of what they're buying.
Metadata usually includes visual attributes like color, type, wearables, and so on. On the blockchain, it looks something like this:
Lazy Lions have their own set of traits that make up their uniqueness. These are background, body, bodygear, earring, eyes, headgear, mane, mouth.
Some traits are rarer than others, which makes a specific NFT stand out from the rest. For example, only 112 Lazy Lions with gold background exist. If we go down deeper, only 4 Lazy Lions with white manes and gold backgrounds exist.
Rarity makes it appealing to collectors. It also boosts the perceived value of the NFT.
The artwork is cartoonish and outrageous due to the random nature of the traits. Out of the 10,000 NFTs, nine Lazy Lions are part of the Signature Series.
The artwork from the Signature Series deviates from the standard of the collection. It contains a cub lion, a cat wearing a lion suit, and a warrior lion, to name a few.
The Lazy Lions NFT collection has been autogenerated. This means that out of the potential combinations, only 10,000 Lazy Lions will ever exist!
In addition to the original mint, the founders have created two additional collections: Lazy Cubs and Lazy Lions Bungalows.
Lazy Cubs is a collection of 22,000 NFTs that represent the younger versions of Lazy Lions.
Lazy Bungalows serve as a unique social media banner, designed for holders to showcase their Lazy Lions and Lazy Cubs.
What is the utility of Lazy Lions?
Lazy Lions make for an awesome avatar pic, but it’s also your ticket to the Lazy Lions universe.
First things first, supportive members of the community accumulate ROAR Points. Accumulating these points is all about engaging with the community, and participating in quests. Long-time holders are promised an extra share of the ROAR Points.
The end goal for the ROAR Points is to serve as a placeholder for the release of the $ROAR token.
As holders earn ROAR Points, they will progress through various tiers, each offering additional rewards—a distinctive Soulbound token corresponding to each level. These tokens act as badges of Pride, representing their dedication to the Lazy Lions community.
Tiers will play a role in future reward systems, simplifying the recognition of the most devoted holders. In addition to the Soulbound token, unlocking each tier provides a set of exclusive perks designed to elevate the Lazy Lions experience.
Perks don’t stop here.
On November 18th, Lazy Lions initiated the Lazy Collectibles collection by offering a pack of two NFT cards for those who referred friends to join the Discord Pride. Completing the set of 8 cards qualified participants for raffle giveaways. The Lazy Collectibles has transformed into the IRL LAZY Collection, featuring exclusive real-world apparel items and collectables. Each IRL collectable will be assigned a proof of authenticity token (NFT) in the future.
As the Lazy Lions brand expands, NFT holders will be able to continually earn rewards. Whether you are hodling for a season or longer, the Lazy Lions ecosystem continues to explore new ways of keeping holders engaged.
Who created Lazy Lions?
Lazy Lions was created by four Australian friends who got bored during the COVID lockdown. The four friends use Ashur, Anlion, Nine and Nin as their online aliases.
The Lazy Lions NFT journey began with a shared passion for gaming and a curiosity about cryptocurrencies. The founders have spent their younger days playing games, and as they delved into the world of crypto, NFTs hit the nail. The allure of blockchain technology, proof of ownership, and the nostalgic factor associated with their gaming experiences resonated with them, laying the foundation for Lazy Lions.
Nine hadn't collected any NFTs at the time, but the idea of ownership on a blockchain sparked a sense of familiarity and excitement from his gaming days.
Ashur brought his experience with NFTs before Lazy Lions. While he wasn't deeply involved in crypto previously, the appeal of NFTs became evident to him early in 2021. He recognized the significant cultural impact and the transformative aspect of digital ownership.
The Lazy Lions team's journey began on a birthday, where discussions about cryptocurrencies and various coins led to a pivotal moment. Ashur introduced the concept of NFTs, emphasizing the idea of owning digital assets on a blockchain. As gamers, the concept of proof of ownership struck a chord with the team, and NFTs started to make sense.
The cultural connection to lions, stemming from the team's Queensland roots, added a personal touch to the project. Referring to each other as "Kings" was a common practice among the team and their mates, contributing to the regal theme within the Lazy Lions community.
The Lazy Lions NFT collection was launched on August 7, 2021, with an initial mint price of 0.05 ETH (around $150 USD at the time).
The idea gained immediate popularity, as 10,000 lions aimed to sell out within five hours to a customer base of 3,000 to 4,000, generating approximately $1.5 million. Consequently, by September 16, 2021, the maximum price had surged to an impressive $2,000, marking the highest figure among competing companies at that time. The more valuable Lazy Lion NFT fetched $50,000. Subsequently, on October 11, 2021, the most expensive Lion was successfully sold for 99 ETH, equivalent to approximately $350,000 at the time.
Following this successful launch, the Lazy Lions NFTs garnered a substantial and devoted community. Within a short time span, Lazy Lions had gathered over 4,600 holders in their Discord.
The organic involvement of celebrities and athletes like Kobe Bryant, Josh Hart, Seth Curry, Tyrese Haliburton, Jake Paul, and Ja Rule adds to the project's cool factor. While the team didn't actively pursue these endorsements, the fact that these figures are joining organically suggests a shared belief in the project, community, and an appreciation for the art.
Who is developing Lazy Lions now?
Lazy Lions is being maintained by the same 4 co-founders along with the NFT holders. That being said, there is no concentrated effort by the founders in the traditional company sense. Instead, community members are free to propose initiatives that help grow the project.
Lazy Lions governance is therefore a combination of the core team efforts and the input provided by the NFT holders. Members who seek to contribute to the Lazy Lions brand can apply for a grant, called ROARwards. Since its inception, ROARwards has distributed more than $1 million in rewards.
Lazy Lions are grouped in what the team calls the Pride. This serves as a DAO governance forum, where the community gets to vote on ROARwards +, additional whitelist spots, and changes to their Discord marketplace.
In November 2022, Lazy Lions released a retroactive roadmap that involves partnerships with well-known brands and social events. Strap on, and let’s explore some of the biggest milestones!
On January 30, Stan Wawrinka, a highly successful tennis player with 3 Grand Slam titles, and a proud member of the Lazy Lions Pride collaborated with Lazy Lions on a special initiative. Lazy Lions joined forces with Stan's NFT collection, Ballman Project, offering Pride members whitelist spots and the opportunity to win two racquets signed by Stan Wawrinka himself.
In April 2022, the community celebrated a historic moment at the Golden 1 Centre, where Lazy Lions partnered with the Sacramento Kings. As a gesture of unity, 100 free paired tickets for the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors game on April 3rd were given away, accompanied by $1,000 each for flights and accommodations to 5 fortunate winners. This event marked the first time an NFT PFP project was showcased in NBA history, demonstrating the community's strength and unity.
On May 18th, Lazy Lions launched the highly anticipated Lazy Cubs NFT drop. This collection held special significance as it had been eagerly awaited since the project's inception. As an added bonus, every existing Lazy Lion holder received an airdrop of a Lazy Drink (gas-covered). The Cubs inherited traits from their OG Lazy Lions but with a twist—combining the Milk NFT with a lion resulted in a young cub, while the Juice NFT transformed it into a teen cub. The Pride, consisting of over 3000 unique holders, welcomed new community members, many of whom held on to their Milks and Juices.
One of the standout partnerships was with Puma. On June 21st, the Lazy Lions organized a highly successful activation at Puma's flagship store in NYC, allowing attendees to have their Lazy Lions custom printed onto Puma T-shirts. The event's success led to many returning the next day for their personalized T-shirts. In addition to Puma, Lazy Lions engaged in collaborations with Kraken and Unstoppable Domains, aiming to enhance exposure and rewards for the community.
On June 27, Lazy Lions released the first issue of the Lazy Comic series. With the launch, Lazy Lions introduced the antagonist of the series, Glitch.
"A Glitch In Time” explores the origin of Glitch and his mischief to stop the metaverse from happening.
The team collaborated with former Film Roman Animation Studios creatives, Mike Wolf and Guy Vasilovich, known for their work on award-winning animated series like The Simpsons. Launched exclusively as an NFT, it was available to holders with a complete set of Lazy NFTs.
On the anniversary of Lazy Lions on August 13th, a week of thrilling activities was organized. Among the events hosted was an exclusive metaverse concert in VRchat. Pride members explored a private island in VRchat while enjoying music from three DJs: Tanja_V, AdhDJ_, and D4RKCIDE. The metaverse concert proved to be a resounding success with the DJs playing for hours.
In the same month, Lazy Lions took a leap of faith and started building a private island in Sandbox. The 3x3 plot of land serves as the meeting spot for NFT holders. Interestingly, the team decided to acquire the land using the dev funds instead of the treasury.
Investors are also an important component of any NFT ecosystem. Although they don’t get involved directly in the governance of the project, they do exert an influence over the brand’s expansion into the mainstream. As of 2023, Lazy Lions hasn’t pursued any strategic funding.
How does Lazy Lions make money?
Now, let’s get to the juicy part – how does Lazy Lions make money?💰 (No, flipping and rug pulling are not the correct answers)
The answer to this question is strongly related to intellectual property.
Think of popular trademarks such as Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, or Coca-Cola. Every time you see movies, books merch, or posters with them, know that the owners of the IP get a share of the profits. The same thing goes for NFT holders, in theory.
When it comes to NFTs, it’s quite challenging to fit them into the traditional framework of copyright law. To give more context, owning an NFT doesn’t mean holders have automatic control over the creative work. This creative control needs to be granted by the creator.
As such, NFT holders should pay attention to what IP rights, if any, come with owning the NFT.
The founders of Lazy Lions have authorized the use of the IP of any individual-owned NFTs. This means NFT holders have full commercial rights to the art in their owned wallets. There are no monetary limits on earnings from merchandise, derivatives, or other commercial uses.
Another way of generating revenue is via royalties. Lazy Lions earns 7% in royalties from secondary sales of the OG collection, Lazy Cubs, and Bungalows. Royalties go into the community treasury to serve as funding for future initiatives.
The mission of Lazy Lions is to dominate the future of entertainment and digital ownership through co-creation and innovation. Lazy Lions sees potential partnerships in entertainment and retail, exploring avenues like storytelling, TV series, licensing deals, and retailing items such as toys and fashion.
As of 2023, Lazy Lions is working to bring industry experts from the TV, retail and Web3 industries to join the Lazy Lions advisory board. They are focused on expanding the marketing team and seeking an individual with expertise in TV and film to lead the IP Licensing function. This person will play a crucial role in aligning with Lazy Lions' vision for utilizing intellectual property.
Next up, they plan on developing a broad Story Bible that will introduce new characters, locations, and story arcs to the existing Lazy Lions universe.
Where can I buy Lazy Lions?
You can buy Lazy Lions on OpenSea.