Beginner

What Is Cool Cats NFT?

Cool Cats NFT is the original Ethereum collection of Blue Cat profile pictures, now part of a wider entertainment brand backed by Animoca Brands. IThis guide covers what the collection actually is, what owners get under the license, how rarity is structured, and what to verify before connecting your wallet.

Yousra Anwar Ahmed Yousra Anwar Ahmed Updated May 31, 2026

Overview

Introduction

Cool Cats NFT launched in 2021 as a set of 9,999 Ethereum profile-picture tokens, each showing a unique Blue Cat built from randomized visual traits. At its peak, the project was one of the most recognizable names in the PFP space, with an active game economy, a companion NFT collection, and a token called MILK tied to in-game rewards.

A lot has changed since then. Cooltopia and MILK have been sunset, the brand has shifted toward character-led entertainment, and in August 2025, Animoca Brands and Coin Operated Group took a majority interest in Cool Cats Group.

This guide covers what the collection actually is, how rarity and ownership rights work, what changed after the Cooltopia era, and what to verify before connecting your wallet to any marketplace listing.

Key Takeaways

  • Cool Cats NFT is an Ethereum avatar collection of 9,999 Blue Cat tokens, each with its own traits and onchain ownership record.
  • The brand has expanded beyond the original NFT collection into animation, merchandise, manga, and avatar tools.
  • Buying a Cool Cat does not guarantee liquidity, full art ownership, working old-game utility, or protection from fake marketplace links.

What Is Cool Cats NFT?

Cool Cats NFT is an NFT collection that started in 2021 as a set of 9,999 Ethereum profile-picture tokens, each showing a variation of Blue Cat with random traits. Owning one means holding a specific token onchain, with a verifiable ID and transfer history. That original collection is fixed. No new Cool Cats can be minted into it.

The name “Cool Cats” now covers more ground than the NFT collection itself. The same brand includes animated episodes, merchandise, a Kodansha manga partnership, companion assets like Cool Pets, and, since 2025, a majority investment from Animoca Brands. That expansion is useful context, but it doesn't automatically change what any individual NFT is worth or what rights a holder has.

For a first-time buyer, you're evaluating a specific Ethereum token, not buying into a company or a guaranteed product roadmap.

How the Original Cool Cats Collection Works

The original Cool Cats collection is an Ethereum-based set of PFP NFTs tied to Blue Cat artwork and randomized visual traits. Each token records ownership onchain, and marketplaces and explorers display the image, token ID, transfer history, listing data, and traits.

The Ethereum PFP Cool Cats Collection

The collection launched in 2021 as a profile-picture project, meaning many holders used the art as online identity before the brand expanded into entertainment. Because it lives on the Ethereum blockchain, users need an Ethereum-compatible wallet, ETH for gas fees, and contract-level verification before interacting with it.

Collection FeatureWhat It Means For Users
Ethereum base chainThe original Cool Cats live on Ethereum, not a cheaper copycat chain.
PFP formatEach item can function as an avatar, collectible, or community identity marker.
Fixed original supplyLater assets such as Cool Pets or avatars are related products, not more original Cool Cats.
Trait metadataVisual attributes can influence rarity and market demand.

Gas fees, marketplace approvals, and wallet compatibility all affect basic actions like bidding, transferring, or listing. Those costs add up in ways that aren't obvious from a floor-price screen alone.

Blue Cat and the Founding Team

Blue Cat is the character at the center of the project. The artwork was created by Colin Egan, also known as Clon, and the collection's brand story traces Blue Cat back to Clon's earlier character work. The founding team also included Evan Luza (Elu), Tom Williamson (Xtremetom), and Rob Mehew (Lynqoid). A 2024 NFT Insider history lists Clon as artist, Elu as creative lead, Tom as technical lead, and Rob as web and product lead.

Artist provenance matters here because Cool Cats is built around a recognizable character with a defined creator history. That's part of why the collection gets evaluated as character art rather than just a token market.

Cool Cats Supply, Contract, and Provenance

The original Cool Cats collection is commonly described as 9,999 randomly generated and stylistically curated NFTs. Animoca Brands used that 9,999 figure in its 2025 Cool Cats investment announcement, while live marketplace pages can show different current asset counts.

For a buyer, the headline supply number is only the starting point. Before comparing prices, confirm the official collection address, the token contract, the token ID, marketplace verification status, and transfer history. The Etherscan token tracker and a verified marketplace URL are stronger evidence than copied artwork appearing in search results.

Cool Cats Traits, Coolness, and Rarity

Cool Cats rarity comes from each NFT's combination of visual traits and the collection's point-based “coolness” system. Rarity can affect collector interest, but it does not guarantee a buyer will find liquidity or a higher resale price.

How Cool Cats Trait Combinations Work

Each Cool Cat is built from a set of visible traits: body, face, hat, shirt, outfit, and occasional special items. Some traits appear more often than others, and certain combinations draw more collector attention because they look cleaner, match a full outfit, or land in a rarer point tier.

Older rarity references describe four broad coolness bands: Cool, Wild, Classy, and Exotic. The current breakdown for any specific token is best verified directly on the marketplace page for that token.

Rarity is a useful filter, not a guarantee. A practical check before bidding should cover:

  • The token's full trait list and coolness tier
  • Recent completed sales for similar trait combinations
  • The spread between asking price and comparable sales
  • The number of active bids near the floor
  • Whether the listing comes from a verified collection address

Why Cool Cats Rarity and Demand Are Different

Rarity and demand don't always move together. Some collectors prefer a clean Blue Cat face over a statistically rare trait combination. Others chase provenance from a known prior holder, or a meme-friendly expression that circulates on social media. A rare trait that few buyers want can sit unsold at a price far above the floor for weeks.

That divergence is common across NFT markets because each item is unique and the buyer pool is small. When rarity, art appeal, provenance, and recent sales all point in the same direction, a price is easier to assess. When they don't, floor price and rarity rank can create a false sense of certainty.

Cool Cats’ Shift From Blue Cat to Entertainment Brand

Cool Cats moved beyond the PFP collection into characters, episodes, physical collectibles, manga, avatar tools, and strategic partnerships. That doesn't erase the original NFT, but it changes how the project should be evaluated.

The Cool Cats Brand Shift After the NFT Boom

After the 2021 NFT cycle cooled, Cool Cats leaned into Blue Cat as character IP rather than relying on floor-price momentum. The current Cool Cats brand uses Blue Cat across characters, animation, merchandise, public events, and community products.

That positions Cool Cats in the broader NFT brand company lane. The asset is still an NFT, but the business case depends on whether the character universe can keep attracting fans and partners beyond the original crypto audience. For users tracking project news, a new episode, toy drop, or partnership doesn't automatically move every NFT price, but it does show whether the brand is still producing visible work.

Macy's, Episodes, and Manga

Cool Cats reached mainstream visibility when Blue Cat appeared as a balloon in the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The project later promoted physical collectibles tied to that appearance, including vinyl and plush products connected to Blue Cat and Chugs.

The current entertainment layer includes The Milk Chug, a character-led series based around Blue Cat, Chugs, and Sapphire Town. A 2024 NFT Insider timeline connects the entertainment push to The Milk Chug, a Kodansha manga partnership, and CAA-related media positioning. That context explains why recent Cool Cats coverage reads differently from older articles about MILK, passive earning, and NFT game loops.

The Animoca Brands Investment Into Cool Cats

The biggest recent governance change came on August 8, 2025, when Animoca Brands announced that Animoca Brands and Coin Operated Group owned a majority interest in Cool Cats Group after a strategic investment. The same announcement named planned board additions from Animoca and Moca Network and described collaboration around shared IP, utility, rewards, and Moca Network identity infrastructure.

That gives the project a clearer post-2021 ownership structure and ecosystem direction than older explainers had. It does not make Cool Cats risk-free or guarantee price movement. Users should separate Animoca-backed brand direction from any claim about future price, utility, or market demand.

Cooltopia, Cool Pets, MILK, and What Changed

Cool Pets remains an active companion collection. Cooltopia and MILK belong to an earlier phase that has since been wound down. Let’s dive into what they are/were:

Cool Pets and Companion Assets

Cool Pets were created as companion NFTs for the Cool Cats ecosystem. Earlier guides described them through eggs, elemental development, quests, and Cooltopia gameplay because that was the main utility story during the game phase. They still matter for understanding community history, but they're a separate product from the original Cool Cats collection.

Before bidding on anything in the Cool Cats ecosystem, confirm which asset you're actually looking at:

Old User-Facing TermWhat To Understand Now
Cool PetsCompanion NFTs tied to earlier ecosystem participation and holder history.
CooltopiaEarlier game and quest layer, not the same thing as the original Cool Cats collection.
MILKHistorical ecosystem token connected to Cooltopia mechanics.
SideKX and Shadow WolvesLater companion or ecosystem assets that sit around the core brand.
Avatar SystemA newer identity and wearable layer for supported assets.

Cool Pets connect the project's history to blockchain gaming. Earlier roadmap language also borrowed from metaverse narratives, which explains why older coverage sounds more game-economy-driven than the current brand story does.

Why MILK and Cooltopia Confuse New Users

Plenty of old sources still present Cooltopia and MILK as active features. They're not. Cool Cats later announced the sunsetting of Cooltopia and MILK so resources could shift toward new gaming experiences and partnerships.

A buyer should not choose a Cool Cat today because an old article promised passive MILK income or a functioning game loop. Treat both as historical context rather than active value drivers.

Cool Cats Avatar System and Wearables

The Avatar System and wearables are a newer identity layer around Cool Cats and Shadow Wolves. The Avatar System beta described customizable avatars, wearables, Explorers, and supported access for Cool Cat or Shadow Wolf holders.

Avatar tools are about identity, display, and ecosystem participation rather than a token-earning loop. They're worth knowing about if you're evaluating the project's current product surface, but they don't guarantee utility for every Cool Cat holder.

What Cool Cats Owners Get

Cool Cats owners hold a specific NFT and a limited license to use the linked art while they own it. They do not automatically own the underlying Cool Cats brand, every character right, or unrestricted commercial IP.

NFT Ownership Versus the Art

The official Cool Cats NFT License gives holders a license to use the art associated with the NFT while they own it, but it does not give full ownership of the art itself.

That distinction affects profile picture use, derivative works, merchandise, and any business application. The wallet holds the token. The broader Cool Cats IP stays with the rights holder.

Commercial Use and Derivatives

The license allows personal use, certain derivative works, and merchandise using the owned art or permitted derivatives, subject to its limits. It also places conditions on derivative similarity, sublicensing, marketplace transfers, creator fees, and other use cases.

If you plan to use the art commercially, check the active license before spending money on products, ads, games, or brand assets.

What Happens When the NFT Transfers

When a Cool Cats NFT transfers, the license transfers to the new owner and the seller's rights end. That makes clean ownership records and a legitimate acquisition path important for both trading and rights use. If the NFT leaves the wallet, the art-use rights tied to that token go with it.

How to Check Cool Cats NFT Market Value Without Chasing the Floor Price

Checking market value means looking beyond the floor price to recent sales, offer depth, listed supply, trait premiums, holder distribution, and current activity. The floor price is useful, but it only shows the cheapest visible listing at one moment in time.

Floor Price Is Only One Signal

A Cool Cats NFT floor price can move quickly because NFT markets are thin compared with major fungible tokens. One low listing, one accepted offer, or one quiet week can shift the visible floor without reflecting a durable change in demand.

Floor price also ignores trait quality entirely. A rare Cat, a clean-looking Cat, and a floor Cat may all trade at different prices even though they belong to the same collection.

Liquidity and Recent Sales Matter

Liquidity and recent sales show whether listed prices are actually clearing. Before relying on a floor price, check:

  • Recent completed sales for similar traits
  • The number of real offers near the floor
  • The spread between floor listings and active bids
  • Trait premiums on completed sales
  • Fees, royalties, and gas costs at the time of purchase

How to Buy or Hold a Cool Cats NFT Safely

Buying or holding a Cool Cats NFT safely starts with verifying the official collection, using an Ethereum-compatible wallet, and refusing seed-phrase or direct-message requests. The main operational risk is signing the wrong transaction on a convincing fake link.

Verify the Collection Before Connecting

Verification should happen before any wallet popup. Start from official Cool Cats links, compare the contract address, check the marketplace verification badge, inspect the token ID, and review recent transfer activity before placing a bid.

A short pre-purchase checklist is safer than trusting a search result:

  • Start from official Cool Cats links only
  • Confirm the Ethereum contract address matches
  • Review token traits and recent comparable sales
  • Read the full transaction prompt before signing
  • Avoid sponsored search results and unsolicited DMs

Use the Right Ethereum Wallet

The right crypto wallet must support Ethereum NFTs, let users inspect transactions before signing, and allow approval management. Long-term holders often separate a vault wallet from a daily-use wallet so unknown sites don't interact with stored collectibles.

A MetaMask wallet is a common browser extension option for Ethereum NFTs. If you're new to self-custody, a broader wallet setup guide can help with seed phrases, backups, and approval basics before connecting to any marketplace.

Links and Offers Carry High Risk

Scammers copy NFT art, collection names, Discord announcements, and marketplace pages. A real-looking offer can still route a user into an approval transaction that drains assets.

If you need ETH for gas or a purchase, use a verified crypto exchange to acquire it. That step should come after sorting out custody, fee structure, withdrawal delays, and regional platform availability. The basic rule is simple: never enter a seed phrase into a website, and never sign a transaction you can't explain.

Cool Cats Compared With Other NFT Brand Collections

Cool Cats sits closest to other NFT collections that began as PFP projects and then tried to build media, products, or games around recognizable characters. The useful comparison covers how each collection turns art, rights, community, and product delivery into durable demand, not just where each floor price sits today.

Comparison PointWhat To Look For
OriginWhether the collection began as art, social status, a game asset, or media IP.
Brand extensionWhether the project has products outside secondary-market trading.
Owner rightsWhether holders receive broad IP rights, limited display rights, or something in between.
Token strategyWhether the brand depends on a fungible token, NFT access, or offchain products.
LiquidityWhether recent sales support the displayed floor price.

CryptoPunks are more historically minimal and provenance-led. Bored Ape Yacht Club leans into club identity and Yuga's broader ecosystem. Pudgy Penguins is the closest analog for consumer-product and character-IP direction.

Doodles overlaps through colorful art, media direction, and Web3 product layers. Azuki brings an anime-style brand with separate ecosystem expectations.

FAQs

What is the basic idea behind Cool Cats NFT?

Cool Cats NFT is the original Ethereum collection of 9,999 Blue Cat profile-picture tokens. Each token has its own ID, trait combination, and onchain ownership record. The same brand name now covers animation, merchandise, companion assets, and the wider entertainment push, but the original collection is a fixed set.

How many NFTs are in the original Cool Cats collection?

Animoca Brands’ 2025 investment announcement describes the original Cool Cats collection as 9,999 NFTs. Live marketplace and data pages can show different current counts depending on how they index and display assets.

Who created the Cool Cats NFT project?

Cool Cats was built around Blue Cat artwork by Colin Egan, known as Clon. The founding team also included Evan Luza, Tom Williamson, and Rob Mehew.

What happened to Cooltopia and MILK in Cool Cats NFT?

Cooltopia and MILK were part of the earlier game and token-economy layer, but Cool Cats later announced that both would be sunset as the brand shifted resources toward other experiences and partnerships. Older articles still mention them as active features. They are not.

Can Cool Cats NFT owners use the art commercially?

Cool Cats owners receive a limited license tied to the NFT they own, including certain personal, derivative, and merchandise uses under the active NFT license, but they do not own the full Cool Cats IP. Check the active license before any commercial use.

Is the Cool Cats NFT collection still active?

Cool Cats still has visible brand activity through episodes, characters, merchandise, avatar tools, and community products. The 2025 Animoca Brands and Coin Operated Group majority-interest announcement gave the project a clearer ownership and ecosystem direction than it had in the post-2021 period.