KilroyPunk NFT Drop mixes up iconic meme with a CryptoPunk

Multichain NFT protocol Holograph dropped its latest collaboration on Tuesday, combining a recognizable “blue chip” NFT with one of history’s most iconic memes.

Entitled “KilroyPunk,” the collectible is a riff on CryptoPunk #8527owned by pseudonymous Delegate Cash creator and Crypto Twitter personality Phobar, who have long used NFT as their profile picture. It combines foobar’s famous NFT with the work of Erik Elmswhich showcases the California-based artist’s input Kilroy.

The collaboration comes as Holograph tries to find a foothold in the NFT space, and it marks the multichain protocol’s third offering through its consumer-facing application. Released as part of an open edition, meaning the collectible can be claimed an unlimited number of times – it costs $15 and is available for 48 hours.

“It’s a nice remix on top of the classic punk,” foobar shared Decrypt, noting that CryptoPunk 8537 has played an important role in promoting brand recognition over time. Foobar has around 133,000 followers on Twitter.

Dating back to the 1940s, “Kilroy Was Here” appeared as an American symbol on battlefields in Europe and the Pacific, often in the form of graffiti. And after creating cultural commentary with the character for yearsElm’s entry into the NFT space is imbued with a distinct subtext.

“Kilroy has a rich history dating back to World War II and has evolved culturally through different eras,” Elms said Decryptand says it parallels CryptoPunks in that the collection embodies “such an OG history in the NFT space, both conceptually and stylistically.”

Elms said his work often centers on printed materials that are transformed through collages to create new meaning. So, as an artist from outside the NFT space, he thought it important to pay tribute to CryptoPunks’ pixelated style, which is inherently digital.

“To me, there is a rich history of NFT Native art,” Elms said. “It’s important to not only use the technology, but also to have a conversation with the rich visual and conceptual history of the subculture.”

Ahead of the NFT launch, the collaboration was teased on the streets of New York City in a way that was inspired by counterculture trends seen in streetwear and skate circles, Holograph CEO and co-founder Jeff Gluck told Decrypt.

Despite Holograph’s focus on culture, Gluck said Holograph is ultimately rooted in technology.

Created by the team at CXIP Labs, Holograph takes a multi-chain approach to digital collectibles, allowing users to create NFTs on their chain of choice or trade them between multiple networks. As of now, the protocol supports Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, BNB Chain and Optimism.

NFTs are unique digital tokens that correspond to the ownership of an object, often digital art, and these assets usually exist on a single blockchain – at least initially.

Recognizable projects such as DeGods and Doodles have branched over time from the chains on which they were created, expanding into new networks. Foobar said Holograph addresses some pain points inherent to this process.

“I’ve long thought that we need a unified user-first experience instead of each project recreating its own cross-chain mechanisms,” foobar said.

Holographic’s previous coinage featured the work of artist Jasmine Monsegue, also known as Spacebrat, and her free NFT– which was also the first of her career – was minted over 300,000 times in a 48-hour window. A majority of the NFTs were minted on Polygon, the Ethereum scaling platform.

Gluck said that many people who minted their Holograph NFTs on Polygon were likely trying to avoid high gas fees compared to other networks like Ethereum, showing an advantage of a multi-chain approach.

“Having an asset siled and locked on a single blockchain makes no sense,” he said. “Consumers and creators are beginning to understand the necessity of a multi-chain approach.”