September 2026 Recap

Faire, Kung Fu Tea, LineFriends and More Shelves

In September, Pudgy Penguins went live on Faire, the wholesale marketplace for independent retailers. With this integration, toy stores, boutiques, and mom-and-pop shops can now stock Pudgy products in bulk. That puts Pengu in front of 100,000+ shops worldwide.

Pudgy Penguins is now live on Faire.

Then Pengu entered a new category.

On September 14 the team announced a partnership with Kung Fu Tea: two Pudgy-themed bubble teas heading to every Kung Fu Tea location nationwide, plus treat blind boxes and limited Vibes promo cards per location. Inner Igloo put the footprint at about 330 stores across North America, with the in-store push landing in October.

We’re officially entering the beverage category with Kung Fu Tea.

Our online shop also added the new Pudgy Essentials: stationery, bottles, stickers, stress balls, and more.

Pudgy Penguins also launched Pengu and Polly Halloween costumes, bringing the characters to life just in time for the spooky season.

LINE FRIENDS

This month we announced a collaboration with LINE FRIENDS, one of Asia’s largest character platforms, with stores in Seoul, Tokyo, and Shanghai.

The first co-branded lineup includes pens, plushies, figurines, and a plush keyring blind bag with six Pax and Polly designs.

Pengu is heading onto shelves next to one of the region’s most recognizable IPs.

The Huddle IRL

September was full of lively community-led events all over the world.

NYC. On September 3, Pudgy Penguins and OpenSea turned Seward Park into Collector Park.

It was an outdoor festival for every kind of collector: cards, designer toys, games, fashion, and onchain. More than 1,000 people came through. Pudgy ran a pop-up with plush, bag charms, games, and Vibes TCG rips. OpenSea ran a Trader Zone. Brands including Panini, VeeFriends, Moonbirds, DYLI, and Claynosaurz shared the park.

Spain. Led by @fifilechien, Pudgy Europe showed up at ETHSpain to proliferate the Penguins and bring the huddle together.

Canada. Following a successful trip to Seattle, Pudgy Canada hosted meetups in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto, and they're already planning their next move. Huge thanks the organizers, @LittleWenZ, @Spiffy_Penguin, @aingeth, @Leawin_eth, @fartpudgy, and the rest of the Canada crew!

The huddle came together for some famous NYC slices and beer at another meetup. If you’re headed to NY Comic-Con, make sure to follow @PudgyNYC for more meetup opportunities.

In Russia, @wagnet__ hosted an outdoor meetup and brought the huddle together to grill, open merch, and network.

Indonesia. Fellow Penguin, @methan229, organized Indonesia’s first Pengu World Tour event. Padel, collectibles, coffee, and a care package from Pengu Asia.

Ukraine. Hosted by @maximusss, the local huddle ran a meetup with bowling, merch, and even a first look at a new product line.

Tokyo. Pudgy Penguins Asia hosted a popup in Japan, at Tokyo Dome City / enXross. All-day merch and collectibles, followed by a Pudgy Happy Hour later that night.

Korea. The Huddle is taking over Seoul for KBW with a huge lineup of meetups and events during Korea Blockchain Week.

Make sure to follow the Pudgy Penguins events calendar to stay up to date on events happening in your area: https://luma.com/PudgyPenguins

Inner Igloo and Builder Spotlight

We held two Inner Igloos during September.

Inner Igloos are holder-only AMAs with Luca on the Discord stage: updates, what’s shipping, and an open exchange of ideas. They’re gated to Pudgy, Lil Pudgy, and $PENGU holders, and usually pull a few hundred Penguins into the room. Please visit the official Pudgy Penguins Discord for info on our next meeting.

On September 25, we launched Builder Spotlight, a monthly series celebrating a Huddle member who is building. First up: Bryan Pellegrino (@PrimordialAA), co-founder and CEO of LayerZero.

Primo has been in the Huddle from the start. Through every stage of LayerZero’s growth, he kept the penguin PFP on. Conference talks, LinkedIn, stages, interviews. It became part of how people recognized him. That energy has rubbed off on the rest of his company too: penguin decorations in the office, Pudgy NFTs gifted to the entire LayerZero team as a Christmas bonus, and a culture that treats the Pudgy Penguin as more than just a profile picture.

Boxes, Rips, and Collectors

Mystery Box redemption closed at the start of the month. The leftover physical rips ran through September. On September 24, DYLI streamed the Mystery Box Ripathon finale and pulled a secret grail: the Pudgy skeleton rug. One more rug was raffled to a ripper on that same stream.

Whatnot nights stayed on the calendar too, with Vibes packs, Pengu’s World, and grail hunts as the on-ramp for people who collect with their hands.

September put Pudgy in more places people actually live: shelves, cups, catalogs, and rooms full of collectors. October is shaping up to be one of our most exciting chapters yet.

In case you missed it, read our August blog.