I received a box full of DC Funko Pops today! I collect Funko digital collectible cards and was fortunate enough to find several “redeemable” cards in the packs that I purchased. These are examples of vIRL or Phygital NFTs. This type of NFT is a digital collectible that is connected in some way to a physical product, usually through the equivalent of coupon redemption.
If you are someone who is not interested in digital collectibles but does collect Funko Pops or Hot Wheels, I have created a section of my new Shopify store (https://www.tlsscomics.com) where you can purchase vIRLs I don’t intend to keep for myself. (Shameless plug: My comics and Lump Sum Saga merch are also available online now too.) These Funko Pops should be posted for sale tomorrow.
From the Metaphorical Glossary in Comic NFTs - An Ethical Approach:
vIRL® (virtual in real life) aka "phygital" aka redeemable NFTs
Think “redemption game” ticket.
Have you ever been to an arcade that had a machine that spits out tickets at the end of your game? (I’m fond of the basketball version of this type of machine). In the same way you can cash those coupons in for swag at the prize counter, vIRL® NFTs are similar. They are a type of NFT that allows you to redeem them for a physical item. On the WAX blockchain, there are NFTs that can be redeemed for rare physical Funko collectibles and Hot Wheels vehicles. There are also carbon offsets that you can purchase and cash in after a flight or any other carbon intense activity.
vIRL® comic NFTs would offer a unique way to do crowdfunding. You could issue a vIRL NFT as a promissory IOU for a physical version of your comic. Once enough NFTs were sold to cover production, the comic would be printed. Those NFTs would then be redeemable for the physical comic.
Another potential use case sees multiple NFTs of a particular comic crafted into one redemption NFT. This could then be traded for the physical comic.
While the examples above all involve physical products, It should be noted that vIRL® NFTs could be used to trade for a service (e.g. proofreading a comic) just as easily.
As of this edition, it appears that someone has filed a trademark for the term vIRL®. Regardless of the name, this concept is an important NFT opportunity.
Unboxing: Pop! Digital DC Funkos