Mr Bean isn't the only childhood favourite that's sinking into the NFT sandpit—Nickelodeon has unveiled a whole '90s-themed range for "Summer 2022" powered by Recur.
For context, Recur is a tech company specialised in NFTs and blockchain that's partnering with Nickelodeon for this venture, hosting it on its own Discord: "The '90s called," the announcement opened. "They want your attention back." The video then says, "The following program is rated Web3," followed by snippets of nostalgic clips, all on an old CRT TV with a VHS slot and some old-school stickers.
But it's NFTs, those environmentally harmful receipts that aren't doing so hot, with sales down and public perception worsening. So the response hasn't been great, aside from the hexagonal profile pictured crowd. Someone shared a meme of Mr Krabs digging up a grave while saying, "Am I really going to defile this grave for money?" Only the grave is SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg's. Others simply replied with "No, thank you."
Some commenters chimed in with a letter to Paramount from "The SpongeBob SquarePants Fandom" that stands against NFTs, jokingly turning the acronym into "no fucking thanks!" It reads, "SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg was passionate about marine wildlife and doing everything we can to preserve it. NFTs use up so much energy from simply being created that they're becoming an ever-increasing contributor to climate change, meaning it's hurting the environment Stephen wanted to protect.
"In other words, he would've hated them. So why would you make any based on his creation? Simply put, you shouldn't. Out of respect for Stephen Hillenburg and his vision, we ask that you abandon your plans to make NFTs out of SpongeBob. We're sure Steve would've appreciated it if you did."
Many more comments called them a pyramid scheme that steals artwork and "a passing fad" while some shared L's and "STOP" signs. But that hasn't dissuaded Nickelodeon.