Phanta Bears is an algorithmically-generated collection of 10,000 colorful bears on the Ethereum blockchain. 

Nowadays, non-fungible token (NFT) collections can rarely compete with aesthetics alone as collectors’ tastes for virtual assets continue to evolve. Exclusive perks, benefits, and a dose of a celebrity’s star power are now the main elements that usually push collections to impressive popularity and, of course, profitability. 

And this lesson was well understood by a new collection that seamlessly fused all these aspects to bring a bear-themed collection to amazing success. 

Background 

Phanta Bear NFT collection was spearheaded by PHANTACi, a fashion brand co-founded by Asian pop star Jay Chou and Ezek, a blockchain entertainment platform. 

The founders of the collection are hidden by the names of “Will I,” “Mark G,” and “Ed Ow” and have backgrounds in songwriting, filmmaking, serial entrepreneurship, and energy economics. 

What is Phanta Bear?

The Phanta Bears NFT collection is an algorithmically-generated collection of 10,000 colorful bears and was launched on January 1, 2022, on the Ethereum blockchain. 

It sold out 40 minutes after mint, and those who are interested in purchasing one of these bears must now go to secondary marketplaces such as OpenSea.

The collection’s total value is more than 62 million RMB, which is equivalent to roughly $9,800,000.

Barely a week after its official launch, the collection has already achieved an impressive feat of hitting 1,729 in sales as of January 6, which was mainly pushed by Jay Chou’s star power. 

Jay Chou’s Phanta Bear

‘Bored Apes of the East’

In fact, it had achieved such an amazing feat that it was dubbed as the “Bored Apes of the East,” referring to the Bored Ape Yachts Collection’s immense success, whose entire collection was sold out in just 12 hours when it was launched last April 2021. 

As for Phanta Bears, it already has a 16,700 ETH worth of trading volume, and with its current trajectory, it is expected to produce more impressive numbers in the coming weeks. 

Jay Chou himself received a Phanta Bear #10000, which features a bear wearing a trendy basketball jersey with the celebrity’s birthday number on it, which is “18”. 

The bear holds a basketball in one hand and a basket in the other, and this NFT’s physical traits perfectly fit Chou as he is a big fan of basketball. 

Perks of Having a Phanta Bear 

Just like the norm in NFT collections these days, Phanta Bears are also equipped with valuable utilities that make them an attractive purchase for NFT collectors. 

Aside from having cute aesthetic features, each bear also functions as a “key” for owners to unlock different levels of perks. 

Phanta Bears also allows owners to open the gates of Ezek’s very own Metaverse, which would provide collectors with a richer digital world and more immersive experience. 

On top of these things, each bear also serves as an “Ezek membership card,” which allows owners to gain access to benefits exclusive only for community members. 

Roadmap 

January 1, 2022 Launch of Ezek.io, Ezek Club Community and Phanta Bears NFT collection 
Q1 2022Community voting for 4 Phanta Bears that will be included in the PHANTACi Spring 2022 Physical Collection. 
Building of Ezek Virtual Concert 
Ezek club online/offline benefits 
Q2 2022Launch of Ezek Virtual Concert 
Members can finally buy a plot on Ezek’s Metaverse. 
Q3 2022Members can finally use their NFT bears to gain access to the virtual concert 

Why Buy Phanta Bears? 

PHANTACi’s In-Depth Customer Experience 

Even if the Phanta Bears was just launched last new year, the PHANTACi clothing brand that runs behind it has already been operating since 2006 and has made a strong following since then. 

And with its in-depth experience in customer behavior, interaction and retention, the company can leverage these advantages to push the NFT collection’s popularity and make it more valuable in the process. 

PHANATCi’s Strong Brand 

Phanta Bears would not have a hard time making a strong presence in the physical world as PHANTACi serves as its “In-Real Life” representation. 

Again, the brand has been in existence since 2006 and already has a solid brand and customer base that it can tap to attract more buyers and enhance the popularity of the NFT collection. 

In fact, PHANTACi can even attract its non-crypto native customers into the world of NFTs through its collaboration with Phanta Bears. 

Rising Popularity, Rising Value 

If Phanta Bears can keep up its popularity and increase it in the coming years, its assets can undoubtedly increase, especially its virtual plots. 

One of the project’s main partners, Ezek, has already purchased a 10×10 plot as part of its collaboration with PHANTACi, which also sends a message to NFT owners about the strong confidence of the team in these assets’ value. 

Who is Jay Chou?

For those who do not know him, Jay Chou is a  famous Taiwanese musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, actor, and director. 

His first album was released in 2000, and since then, his popularity has spread throughout Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and in the Asian communities of the United States and Australia. 

In 2003, he was dubbed as the “New King of Asian Pop” in Time Magazine’s Asian version; in 2005, he made his film debut in “Initial D” and, in 2011, made his first Hollywood appearance in “The Green Hornet.”

Clarification 

Even though Jay Chou’s name is directly associated with the Phanta Bear collection and the fact that he co-initiated its launch, Chou clarified that he did not directly launch the NFT collection. 

Jaywell Music, a company owned by the Asian celebrity, released an official statement and said that the collection wasn’t launched directly by Chou, and above all, has not profited from the sales of the NFT bears. 

The statement also highlighted that the celebrity was not involved in the planning and business operations connected to Phanta Bears. 

Conclusion 

It is yet to see if Phanta Bears can sustain its momentum and success, given that Jay Chou has somehow distanced himself from the collection. 

Also, even with the hype that it has garnered, the team behind the collection must still prove that the bears’ utilities can provide satisfying and valuable benefits to its owners.