EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) announced today a collaboration for the NFT community and crypto currency holders from Mattel Creations and VeeFriends with a reimagined UNO deck featuring Gary Vaynerchuk’s VeeFriends NFT signature characters. As one of the first physical products created from a digital NFT brand, the new deck offers UNO fans and NFT collectors the opportunity to own a VeeFriends collectible in the physical form of an UNO deck.
Each VeeFriends x UNO deck will include one special, non-playable foil card to collect -- featuring one of 17 of the VeeFriends signature characters including Charming Cheetah, Sweet Swan, Gary Bee, and more. This collaboration marks the first-ever UNO deck that includes randomly inserted foil cards that mirror VeeFriends spectacular NFT token Colors with varying levels of rarity for all 17 VeeFriends characters, with the Gary Bee card being the hardest for collectors to find.
As part of the UNO brand’s entry into the ultra-rare collectible space, the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the largest trading card grading service, will begin grading UNO Cards starting with the VeeFriends x UNO collectible.
“As Mattel continues to pioneer bringing toy brands into the NFT space, we are thrilled to be working with Gary and his impressive VeeFriends collectibles,” said Richard Dickson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mattel. “Gary’s leadership in this digital dialogue, coupled with our #1 card game in the world UNO, is sure to create a collectible craze as we continue to redefine the intersection between gaming, digital art and collectability.”
Each VeeFriends x UNO deck also includes a new special rule card, the Wild Sharing Squirrel card, which requires the next player to post a selfie of themselves and all the cards in their hand to social media with the hashtag #veefriendsuno.
“If you told 9 year old Gary that he was doing a collaboration with UNO, he would jump in the swimming pool and swim laps for the rest of his life out of excitement,” said Gary Vaynerchuk. “I'm so incredibly honored to take my VeeFriends intellectual property and team up with one of the most iconic properties in the world. Not only am I honored, and little me is excited – I'm mostly excited for all the people who are going to be able to play this game, expand the VeeFriends universe and enjoy some of the collectibility that comes along with this collaboration.”
The new collectible will be available exclusively on Mattel Creations, Mattel’s direct to consumer platform that features curated items that both celebrate and expand Mattel’s intellectual property. This collaboration with Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends continues Mattel Creations’ mission of working with the greatest creatives around the world using Mattel brands as a canvas for collaboration and expression on the cusp of pop-culture.
The VeeFriends x UNO deck will be available for $25 pre-sale exclusively at MattelCreations.com starting December 17th at 9am PST.
About Mattel
Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO® and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.
About VeeFriends
An NFT project that brought to life Gary’s ambitions of building a community around his creative and business passions using NFT technology and their smart contract capabilities. There are 268 VeeFriends and 10,255 tokens, all of which Gary imagined, created and drew himself. Each character represents traits and qualities Gary admires and hopes to inspire in others. Every VeeFriends token is admission to VeeCon 2022, 2023 and 2024. For more information visit veefriends.com and join the discord channel!
About Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur and serves as the Chairman of VaynerX and the CEO of VeeFriends. Gary is considered one of the leading global minds on what's next in culture, relevance, and the internet. Known as "GaryVee," he is described as one of the most forward thinkers in business - he acutely recognizes trends and patterns early to help others understand how these shifts impact markets and consumer behavior. In addition, Gary understands how to bring brand relevance to the forefront, whether it's emerging artists, esports, NFT investing, or digital communications. He is a prolific angel investor with early investments in Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Venmo, Snapchat, Coinbase, and Uber.
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