Mad Lads History
Born from a vision in 2021 and unleashed in April 2023, Mad Lads emerged as an unstoppable force destined to revolutionize the web culture
Backpack Season 1 is over
29th May 2025
Backpack Season 1 is over, congrats to everyone who participated!
Backpack Exclusive Merch
15th May 2025
Backpack teased some exclusive merch, hype is real!
Backpack x Mad Lads - Dubai night
6th May 2025
Backpack and Mad Lads hosted an amazing party in Dubai!
Mad Lads Bomber Jacket - PRE-ORDER
21th April 2025
The Mad Lads Bomber Jacket is now available for pre-order! The jacket is a limited edition item and is only available for holders of a Mad Lads NFT. Simply visit the shop, connect your wallet and get your jacket!
Mad Lads 2 years anniversary
20th April 2025
The Mad Lads community celebrated their 2 years anniversary. The community is still as tight and excited as day 1 and they are ready to take over the world!
Mad Mariage
19th April 2025
In September 2024, the Mad Lads community celebrated the first-ever Mad Lads wedding, with Wendy and Cuong!Now, in April 2025, the community is coming together once again to celebrate the marriage of Fomo Shark and Lassie An!
Mad Lads x Azuki AMA
9th April 2025
Zagabond, the founder of Azuki, joined the Mad Lads Discord server to answer questions about the story of Azuki and to discuss about Mad Lads.
Mad Lads x James Hunsaker AMA
3rd April 2025
James Hunsaker, co-founder of Monad, joined the Mad Lads Discord server to answer questions about his story and discuss about Monad and community.
Season 1 π
21st March 2025
Backpack Exchange Season 1 is live! Earn points by trading and using Backpack Exchange and products.
$bpSOL π
5th March 2025
Backpack validator introduced $bpSOL, their new LST Token with 0% Commission and 0% MEV Commission.
Merch? ποΈ
2nd March 2025
Armani Ferrante posted a picture on his X profile rocking a Mad Lads bomber jacket. Is this a hint for a new merch collection?
Lads on TOP - ETHDenver ποΈ
28th February 2025
The Mad Lads were well represented at ETHDenver. A special event was setup for the Mad Lads and Backpack, and Armani was also a speaker on the stage to talk about Backpack Exchange.
Lads on TOP - Honk Kong Consensus ποΈ
18th February 2025
Consensus is CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential crypto event that brings together all sides of DeFi, blockchain, Web3 and the metaverse. Mad Lads were well represented at the event and a special dinner with Armani Ferrante was organized.
The MAD TOUR - Paris π₯
14th February 2025
The MAD TOUR went to Paris for NFT Paris. A 4 day event with a lot of Mad Lads around it and of course, a lot of red Backpack!
MAD LADS are ΓG π
11th February 2025
@0G_labs, a very promising DeAI L1 Ecosystem, has recognized Mad Lads as OG and offered special roles to the community. A few hours later Mad Lads were all over the time-line with content and they can even customize their Lad and Lassie with a custom OG badge!
The MAD TOUR - Madrid π
06th February 2025
The MAD TOUR started in Madrid, Spain. Attendees could learn about the Mad Lads history and about Backpack.
Perps War AMA π
29th January 2025
Vincent did a holder only AMA with Armani Ferrante in Discord. During that AMA they were both at war to get the most out of a bankroll of 100$ trading on Backpack Exchange. Armani won the war and liquidated Vincent!
Catstanbul π±
25th January 2025
Catstanbul was done by @JupiterExchange and took part in Istanbul, Turkey. The event was full of alpha release such as Jupnet, Apps and the burn of 3M $JUP. Many Mad Lads were present and enjoyed the event.
- Istanbul, Turkey
- 25th-26th January
Trump Team on Backpack π
23rd January 2025
Trump Team is trading directly on Backpack Exchange!
Flow Bali ποΈ
21st January 2025
Solana Temple is a unique experience in Bali where over 100 participants took part. This is the perfect mix between wellness, collaboration and fun. Mad Lads were well represented all over the event.
- Jan 12 - Feb 9
- Bali, Indonesia
κ§MadLadsκ§ π
17th January 2025
@StoryProtocol recognized Mad Lads as OG and offered 30 OG Spots to the community. A few hours later Mad Lads were all over the time-line with content and they can even customize their Lad and Lassie with a custom hat from Story Protocol!
Mad Lads Culture Hub π
11th January 2025
@chocoo_web3 unveiled the Mad Lads Culture Hub, one app, all the culture. Customize your Lads and Lassies, learn about Mad Lads history, discover the Roster and enjoy all the community memes (you can even upload your!)
Backpack Announces Acquisition of FTX EU π
8th January 2025
Backpack EU to offer crypto derivatives throughout the European Union including perpetual futures where no regulated products currently exist. As part of the acquisition, Backpack EU will undertake responsibility for distributing the previously court-approved FTX bankruptcy claims to FTX EU customers.
Bravo Six, Going Dark π
1st January 2025
Mad Moonbois got their hands on the black background used for the 1:1 Glitch Lassie from Tensor. As expected, the Mad Lads community went wild, with dozens of holders requesting their NFTs be displayed with the black background.
Tristan Yver stepping down from Backpack π
31st December 2024
Tristan Yver, the co-founder of Mad Lads and Backpack, is stepping down from his operational role at Backpack to transition into an advisory position. After dedicating the past years to the success of Backpack and Mad Lads, he has decided to reconnect with his family and focus on personal time. The Mad Lads community showed overwhelming support and wishes Tristan the best, knowing he will remain close to the project.
- Co-founder of Backpack
- Co-founder of Mad Lads
- https://x.com/tristan/status/1873914899187065059
Luca Netz AMA exclusive for Mad Lads π€
19th December 2024
Luca Netz the genius behind Pudgy Penguins gave an exclusive one hour interview in Mad Lads Discord server only a few days after their $PENGU token launch! Luca's vision about Mad Lads is very positive and he identified them as the "Solana Cabal" - MAD LADS ON TOP!
- 1h interview
- More than 100 attendees
Mad Lads receive $PENGU πͺ
17th December 2024
Thanks to Armani and the community, Mad Lads received the Elite role in Abstract's Discord, which granted them an amazing $PENGU airdrop from Pudgy Penguins! The Elite role benefits aren't over yet - Mad Lads should see more rewards in the near future.
- 0.035$ per $PENGU at launch
Mad Lads receive first Sui token allocation πͺ
11th December 2024
One of Sui's most notable builders, @bluefinapp, set their sights on the Mad Lads community for the $BLUE TGE.
- 500 $BLUE per Mad Lads
- 0.3$ per $BLUE at launch
MAD LADS DRESSING ROOM
30th November 2024
@chocoo_web3 unveiled the Mad Lads Dressing Room, an app which transforms your NFTs with web3 filters. Dozens of lads have embraced degeneracy and altered PFPs are sweeping the timeline and it made it to the news.
Lace up your shoes Lads, we're going on an adventure πββοΈ
15th November 2024
Mad Lads are hitting the Chinese countryside for the Oxfam Trailwalker fundraiser. Since 1986, more than 100,000 participants have raised over HK$600 million to support Oxfamβs various poverty alleviation and emergency relief projects in Africa and Asia, including Hong Kong and mainland China.
- 40KM
- Sai Kung -> Kowloon Pea
Hong Kong Hacker House
26th October 2024
The final Solana Hacker house of the year comes to a close after a weekend of grind mode and celebrating the journey. As always, Mad Lads were well represented!
Fragmetric is live on mainnet
24th October 2024
Fragmetric hit a major milestone when they launched their Liquid Restaking Token (LRTs) stack on Solana mainnet. To celebrate mainnet launch they are running the LF(ra)G Campaign which will reward $fragSOL holders with 'F Points'. Backpack Wallet users receive a 30% F Point boost! Many of Fragmetic team members are rocking Mad Lads as PFP!
Mad Lads receive points booster for AllDomains Experience
15th October 2024
AllDomains creates and manages web3 domains (like .solana, .BONK and .wen) by tokenizing domains and facilitating instant P2P transfers. Points were awarded to every wallet that holds both an AllDomains address and Mad Lads NFT.
Mad Lads Africa - ICP Lautech Summit
14th October 2024
Backpack Africa has been instrumental in arranging ongoing Mad Lads and Backpack events in the region. Members of the community regularly evangelize Mad Lads and Backpack at gatherings across the continent, most recently at the Lautech University campus in Nigeria.
Vietnam football game
8th October 2024
Vietnam is the single largest concentration of Lads holders who regularly host events and meetups. On October 8th they had some intense football game.
Armani Ferrante is speaking in Singapore during TOKEN2049 and Solana Breakpoint
18th September 2024
Mad Lads and Backpackers were very happy as Armani Ferrante was the main speakers during TOKEN2049 and Breakpoint! That's not all, many parties and events were filled with Mad Lads during this edition of Breakpoint.
- Biggest ETH Event
- Biggest Solana Event
- Singapore
Mad Lads Meetup in Lagos
14th September 2024
Mad Lads and Backpack Africa hosted a get together for the best and brightest in Lagos, the largest city in the country and one of the most populated in all of Africa. Panel discussions, interviews with local builders and a tremendous amount of swag made for an exciting evening of Mad culture.
- Merch
- Swag
- Fun
Mad Lads Meetup in Madrid π
14th September 2024
Madrid, also known as "la ciudad que nunca duerme" was set for a Mad Lads takeover! The event was token gated and only Matrica-verified holders were able to attend.
- DJ
- Food
- Drinks
Mad Lads Meetup in Ho Chi Minh City
14th September 2024
Checking in with over 200 holders, Vietnam boasts the single largest Mad Lads community in the world. They gathered in HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) for a night time mixer during Superteam Vietnam's Startup Village.
- DJ
- Food
- Drinks
Mad Speakeasy Launching
13th September 2024
Leela builded a place in Portals for Mad Lads to host standing show, karaoke night and much more!
- Portals Metaverse
- https://theportal.to/madspeakeasy
Custom Keystone hardware wallet
9th September 2024
Cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer Keystone announced an integration with Backpack Wallet. To celebrate the Backpack integration, Keystone was offering all Mad Lads holders a 50% discount on custom-designed hardware wallets.
- Advanced recovery mechanisms
- Multisig (multisignature) support for multiple approvers
- Encrypted QR code transactions
- Community audited code
- Touchscreen display
- Extended battery life
- Secured firmware update process
- Numerous physical device and data protections
Lads and Lassie wedding
1st September 2024
Two of Mad Lads most ardent supporters became ONE this weekend after minting their new marriage. What a MAD marriage!
- Wendy
- Cuong
- Happy Wedding
Backpack X Monad - Tokyo π£
31 August 2024
Backpack and Monad came together in Tokyo for a night of merch, music, munchies and memories. Armani Ferrante and Monkedoesnt joined the Monad team on a panel to explore what they're building and the the greater blockchain ecosystem.
- Merch
- Plushies
- Alpha
Honorary Mad Lads #6 πΌοΈ
30th August 2024
The Mad Lads shipped honorary NFT toHaliey Welch a.k.a. 'the hawk tuah girl'. Much more than just the clip that made her famous, Haliey's intentions are clear and the goal is to use her attention to bring eyeballs to the plight of doggos across the world.
- 2.6M followers on Instagram
- 1.8M followers on TikTok
- 430K followers on X
- ... launched a meme-coin, failed it, went to sleep for one week... now is dealing with justice and stuff
Mad Lads party the night away in Taipei π
13th August 2024
Mad Lads were treated to complimentary food and drink along with a DJ filling the airwaves last week in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. The Mad Lads x Backpack x Solana event drew a large crowd who spent the night talking shop about cryptocurrency and the future of blockchains.
- Merch
- DJ
- Foods
- Drinks
Tristan Yver goes deep on building Mad Lads community in Eclipse interview π
9th Augst 2024
Tristan relives the early Mad Lads and Backpack community building days with 'Ethereums first SVM L2', Eclipse. The interview serves as a blueprint for bootstrapping a community movement and channeling the attention into product.
- Eclipse is supported in Backpack
- Eclipse are pushing Backpack
Armani Ferrante on top of the stage at EDCON 2024 π€
24th July 2024
Tokyo, Japan is slowly but surely emerging as a boomtown for crypto in response to their blockchain friendly regulatory requirements and active support from the Japanese government.Armani Ferrante took his place on top of the stage at EDCON 2024.
- 24-30th July 2024
- TOKYO - JAPAN
There is a new blockchain in town π€
16th July 2024
Monad is the newest L1 chain on the block and they have captured the attention of the greater crypto ecosystem with their novel approach to scaling EVM programs with Solana-esque parallel execution. Many Mad Lads are active supporters of Monad and their team is close with Backpack team.
Mad Lads community meetup takes over Hanoi π
7th July 2024
Dozens of holders from across Vietnam traveled to Hanoi to celebrate #SolanaSummer and the Mad Lads. Mad Meetups in Vietnam are becoming a regular occurrence as the community has self organized events dating back as far as early July, 2023.
- Merch
- Good vibes
Jupiter X Backpack private party πΉ
20th June 2024
Jupiter and Backpack wallet teamed up and threw an epic event for Solana partners, founders, and builders.
- 20th June 2024
- 9PM - 1AM
- KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA
Armani Ferrante on top of the stage at Solana Summit π€
20th June 2024
Solana Summer APAC 2024 is designed to unite the best of best of the Solana Community in the Asia Pacific for three days to code, connect, collaborate & conquer.
- 20-22nd June 2024
- KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA
Honorary Mad Lads #5 πΌοΈ
31st May 2024
The Mad Lads shipped honorary NFT to Iggy Azalea. Iggy Azalea took crypto Twitter by storm alongside the rise of $MOTHER, the latest memecoin to sweep Solana. Hype escalated as Iggy adopted a Mad Lads honorary Lassie as her PFP.
- Born on 7th June 1990
- 17M followers on Instagram
- 8M followers on X
- Singer
Mad Lads meetup Istanbul π
12th May 2024
Mad Lads, Jito and Superteam Turkey put their rings together and formed an after-hours mixer during the Crossroads conference in Istanbul. The seaside event hosted Mad Lads holders and maxis alike in a brightly lit hall which was adorned with swag.
- Stickers
- Merch
- Drinks
Mad Lads meetup Manila πΈ
11th May 2024
The Philippines are home to one of the largest regional groups of holders, this was the second Mad Lads event in six months and more are planned in the future. The vibes were high as the Mad Lads took over a nightclub in Manila.
- DJ
- Merch
- Drinks
Mad anniversary celebration in Tokyo π
2nd May 2024
Dozens of Mad Lads maxis met up in Tokyo to celebrate the one year launch anniversary.
- Stickers all over Tokyo
- Good vibes
- BackPack office is in Tokyo
Mad Lads Seoul Takeover πΊ
30th April 2024
moa hosted the Mad Lads Seoul Takeover where more than 400+ RSVP'd and hundreds attended the celebration.
- Custom merch
- DJ
- Open bar
Lads on Top - DubaΓ― Edition π«
30th April 2024
Tristan Yver headlined a panel on βCreating Culture & Communityβ at TOKEN2049 Dubai and the Mad Lads showed up in full force. Hundreds of holders invaded the token-gated Mad Lads Discord chat mid-presentation to show exactly how powerful their presence is.
The Philosophy of WAO π§
22nd April 2024
Philosophically, that saying is super meaningful at so many levels. In the broadest levels, WAO talks about the notion that us as separate individuals are part of this collective consciousness. Itβs that collective consciousness that is the bond between humans and the sort of connection we feel towards each other and other beings.
- WAO = We Are One
Lads on top of the stage at University of Tokyo π§βπ
20th April 2024
Camao represented both Solana and the Mad Lads during his session as a guest speaker at a University of Tokyo panel which more than 7k people attended.
Sharki.fy Airdrop πͺ
16th April 2024
Thousands of Lads holders reserved their allocation for the Sharky airdrop.
- 169 tokens per Mad Lads
- 0.5$ per $SHARK at launch
PARCL Airdrop πͺ
16th April 2024
Parcl is a decentralized real estate trading platform. Parcl offers city indexes that allow you to speculate on price movements of real estate markets across the globe.
- 150 tokens per Mad Lads
- 0.6$ per $PARCL at launch
NFT.NYC π
3rd April 2024
Mad Lads holders descended on New York City for a week of debauchery and degeneracy during NFT.NYC 2024.
- Holders party
- TimeSquare display
Mad Seoul popup event goes mad π
20th March 2024
A41 & moa hosted the Mad Seoul Pop Up in the heart of Gangnam-gu for a mad evening alongside BUIDL Asia and ETH Seoul.
- Custom merch
- DJ
- Open bar
PIKE Allocation πͺ
10th March 2024
Pike Finance announced that Mad Lads holders fall into a tier that represents the current meta of blue chip projects on Solana and Ethereum.
- 500k tokens per Mad Lads
- 0.0035$ per $P at launch
Wormhole Allocation πͺ±
8th March 2024
Mad Lads NFTs which are endowed with the βWβ Badge are on track to net a substantial allocation of Wormhole tokens. It's a new mechanic to target and reward holders. You can send a badge to holders for buying your assets, participating in your community, or anything else, and reward them. The NFT with the badge tied to it has then an extra value.
- 16000 $W vested
- 3200 $W claimable at TGE
Portals loot boxes π¨
8th March 2024
Portals is a multiplayer world-building platform that allows anyone to build, share, and play in an open world that is built by your imagination. In each loot boxes you can find some Mad Lads branded clothes for your avatar.
- Motorbike helmet
- Basketball tank top
- Black hoodie
- Red hoodie
- Red pants
- Red shoes
Tensor X BackPack - 1:1 Glitched Lassie π¨
8th February 2024
Tensor and Backpack cooked a partnership that led Mad Lads to a chance to win a 1:1 Glitched Lassie.
Armani appears on one of the biggest crypto channels in Japan πΎ
5th February 2024
Joe Takayama runs one of the biggest Japanese-language crypto channels which has gained hundreds of thousands of followers.
- 141k followers
- 260 likes on the video
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTW4_N-lAWM
$DYM Airdrop πͺ
1st February 2024
Dymension airdrop the most hyped since Pythia staking event π₯©.
- 706 tokens per Mad Lads
- 5.6$ per $DYM at launch
Happy New Lad competition ποΈ
1st January 2024
The Backpack Exchange returns with a brand new promotion for the New Year. One lucky user with the highest taker volume will land themselves a shiny new Mad Lad from the 'scholarship' fund.
- 14 days competition
DeFi Land shows love to Mad Lads holders π¦
16th December 2023
DeFi Land airdropped 50 Golden Tickets to Mad Lads holders. The tickets were entered into a raffle for three prizes.
- Grand Prize: Mad Lad #5351
- Second Place: Three Mythic Alpaca NFTs
- Third Place: Four Baby Almighty Alpaca NFTs
Pyth Airdrop πͺ
20th November 2023
Mad Lads holders and early registrants to the Backpack Exchange are eligible for a $PYTH airdrop.Pyth is a specialized oracle network, designed to provide high-quality, low-latency, and reliable real-world data for decentralized applications.
- 3000 tokens per Mad Lads with badge
- 1000 tokens per KYC on the Exchange
- Raffle for 1:1 Pythia
- 0.3$ per $PYTH at launch
New Roster athlete #5 π
17th November 2023
Kai Paula joins The Roster. Kai is a professional surfer currently competing to qualify to the world tour. His aspiration is to be an Olympic surfer and he is already a strong world-class standout in anything from small to big waves.
- Born on January 18, 2003
- Professional surfer
- 7th surfer to land a double spin
Mad Lads Cards π
2nd November 2023
The FOCK IT playing cards vanished into pockets as people flocked to the Mad Lads booth for a chance at securing their pack.
- Each face card in the deck features Mad Lads artwork
BreakPoint Amsterdam β
1st November 2023
Mad Lads were all over at BreakPoint Amsterdam '23. Many side events and parties were filled with Mad Lads holders!
- Bonk Football Tournament
- Wormhole Boat Mixer
- Mad Lads Holders Party
- Treasure Hunt
- & much more
Michelin 3xplorer Club are fan of Alberts π
31st October 2023
The Michelin 3xplorer Club included a Mad Lads trait in their artwork.
- Mint: 0.05 ETH
- Supply: 5000
New Roster athlete #4 π
18th August 2023
Lyon Farrell joins The Roster. Lyon is the first βwinter sportsβ athlete to join The Roster and is currently working to qualify for the Winter Olympics
- Born on November 22nd 1998 - Los Angeles, California
- 1st place at the 2019 Spring Battle
- 2nd place at the Seiser Alm World Cup in 2019
- 3rd place at the Seiser Alm World Cup in 2018
- 5th place at the US Open in 2019
Lads on F1 Rear Wing ποΈ
20th October 2023
Hundreds of projects entered the #RearWingTakeover for a chance to have their artwork featured on the rear wing of an F1 car during the Austin, Texas race and Mad Lads dominated it.
- Mad Lads
- Degods
- Clayno
- Y00ts
- Sappy Seals
- The Doge Pound
New Roster athlete #3 π²
13 October 2023
Dane Greer joins The Roster. Dane brings big air to The Roster in a new way. The native Hawaiian has spent a majority of his life on two wheels (and flying through the air).
- Born in Haiku, Maui, Hawaii
- Maui Sunriders Bike Shop
Rick's Rolls are back on the menu π
6th October 2023
Mad Lads trolled the internet once again as anticipation for their October announcements reached new heights. Many people were hyped for exciting news... only to get Rickrolled!
- Mad Lads Badge "WL"
- Lot of noise
- See you at BreakPoint '23
Mad Lads know how to party πΊ
23rd September 2023
Tristan explained the story behind Mad Lads at TOKEN2049. Many side events were filled with Mad Lads holders and goodies!
- Singapore
Armani exercises, floor price rises ππ»
1st September 2023
Retired Chad Dev swept fourteen Mad Lads from the floor after challenging Armani Ferrante to a pull contest and it all started with Taco Bell.
- 1 $SOL = 20$
Honorary Mad Lads #4 πΌοΈ
25th August 2023
The Mad Lads shipped honorary NFT to Austin Federa. Austin Federa is a co-founder of DoubleZero, a new global base layer network aimed at increasing bandwidth and reducing latency for high-performance blockchains. Prior to this, he served as the Head of Strategy at the Solana Foundation.
- Solana Foundation fixture
- Podcast host
- Event organizer
New Roster athlete #2 π
18th August 2023
Nick Kapule joins The Roster. From filming his encounters with giant sharks to tackling waves that would pummel mere mortals, Nick has all the hallmark traits of a Mad Lad.
- Started as a standout quarterback at Punahou High School
- Involved in the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational
New Roster athlete #1 π
04th August 2023
Tyler Larronde joins The Roster. Tyler Larronde is a professional surfer that has been riding big waves since childhood.
- Born on July 23, 1994
- Professional big-wave surfer
- Transitionned to Foil surfing
Honorary Mad Lads #3 πΌοΈ
21st July 2023
The Mad Lads shipped honorary NFT to @0xMert. Mert Mumtaz, known online as 0xMert, is the co-founder and CEO of Helius, a company specializing in Solana's RPCs and APIs. He's a huge X figure and never miss to protect Solana from the fudders!
- Mert Mumtaz (0xMert) is the co-founder of Helius
- Huge Solana figure
Honorary Mad Lads #1 & #2 πΌοΈ
26th June 2023
The Mad Lads shipped honorary NFTs to Meltem Demirors and Anatoly Yakovenko. They are the first two persons to get an honorary Mad Lads!
- Anatoly Yakovenko - Solana founding member
- Meltem Demirors - OG in the Solana world
Staking πͺ
13rd June 2023
Mad Lads dropped staking. The process took seconds inside of Backpack and was another successful product demo showing what xNFTs are capable of. If you hold a Mad Lads don't was any more time and stack it!
- Open your Backpack
- Click on your Mad Lad
- Click Stake
- Approve transaction
- Start to earn Soulbound coins
Mad Merch π
2nd June 2023
The Mad Merch claims ended on Friday, June 2nd. Seconary market stabilized after some spikes to something comparable to IRL clothing price. Shipments started on June 23rd for T-shirts and July 3rd for Hoodies over more than 235 countries around the world.
- Common (tee-shirt) | 1.5 SOL/$30
- Uncommon (hoodie) | 5 SOL/$95
- Rare (hoodie) | 19 SOL/$228
Saga Phone engraving π±
24th May 2023
Exclusive Mad Lads engraving was live on the Solana Mobile store! For a limited time only, you could get your Mad Lad engraved for free when you purchased a new Saga.
- Limited time program until June 14th 2023
- Free engraving
- Saga Phone costed +/- 600$
Mad Lads Mint π
19th April 2023 & 20th April 2023 & 21st April 2023
The Mad Lads 4/20 launch was plagued with extortion demands, DDOS attacks, RPC node failures and attempted smart contract exploits - all of which caused delays. In spite of these challenges the Mad Lads team emerged victorious but it could have turned out much differently...
- Madlist mint: 7PM EST on 4/19
- Public mint: 7PM EST on 4/20 + 4/21
- 6.9 $SOL [+/- 160$]
- βHoneypot Bitchβ, the Honeypot was essentially a trap designed to trick the bots into spending money on a fake NFT instead of the real one (which was returred in good spirits)
One photo to rule them all πΈ
4th February 2023
The now-famous beanbag photo has gained quasi-internet fame and inspired content and marketing campaigns across multiple industries. Traditional tech companies have used it to fuel narratives around AI productivity tools, hustle culture, and the modern startup grind.
- Before Mad Lads
- Before Exchange
- Before multichain
- Before mobile applications
- Before investment rounds
- Before global recognition
Building a Community π€
Autumn 2022
Tristan and Armani hired Mad Monkey to build a community for Mad Lads and Backpack. Mad Monkey, also known as Gonzalo, is a key contributor to the Solana ecosystemm. He previously worked at FTX and transitioned from corporate roles to becoming a prominent figure in the crypto community, focusing on user engagement and community building.
Idea of Mad Lads came to life π§
Summer 2022
During the summer of 2022, the idea of creating a profile picture NFT collection became a reality. Despite having a first collection entirely done by a talented artist, the team decided it wasn't exactly what they wanted. Tristan, being close to Aurory, contacted their artist, and after some sketches, the magic happened, leading to Yann Penno becoming the Mad Lads artist!
- Based in Montreal - Quebec
- Co-founder of Pamplemousse Games
- IP& Art Director at Aurory Project