SPOTLIGHT: Check Out This Bored Ape's Project That Aims To Pin The Community Together
Bored Ape Yacht Club member Chris and his fiancé Elaine have been pinning the BAYC community together with their project Ape Pins.
Ape Pins is a community led project that gives BAYC members, and various other NFT collection holders, the ability to turn their NFTs into tradable and collectible physical pins.
Since Chris and Elaine began Ape Pins in late 2021, the couple has become a staple of the community.
“ApePins was born in late 2021 as a way of forging real-life connections between members of what was clearly a special and growing community,” Chris said.
Since then, Chris estimates that he and Elaine have turned 69 Bored Apes, 12 Mutant Apes, a handful of Bored Ape Kennel Club Dogs and one Mega Mutant into Pins.
The Bored Ape Gazette interviewed Chris and found out more information on Ape Pins. Find out more about the project and read how to get your ape or NFT made into a pin:
1: When did you join the BAYC/ get into NFTs? When did I get into NFTs?
“I actually minted a few of my own art back in Summer 2020 and distributed them to my patrons on Patreon at the time. Picked up my first Ape May 1 2021. It was clear something special was brewing.”
2: How’d you get into pin making?
“I'm an artist so I've been taking my art I make digitally and putting it into the physical world in many forms for a while! The kind of pins we make are an art form of their own. In a world where everything can be infinitely perfectly digitally reproduced, I feel like our art conversion process (thickening some lines and discarding others from the BAYC art) reintroduces some soul into the token you end up holding in your hand. It's an old school process and look instead of just a perfect digital print!”
3: What is the reception from community members when they see your pins?
“People love the look! And the FEEL. Kind of tied into my last answer, we reintroduce some texture and soul into the product. Human beings had to make color choices and hand re-draw the lines of your Ape to make sure it comes out a handsome looking pin and people have really appreciated that aspect of what we do and responded to it. We feel the love. We love the reaction of people who see them for the first time!”
4: How can BAYC members get their apes turned into a pin? What’s the process?
“The process is SUPER simple. Just go to http://apepins.com , choose your quantity and it's a very traditional checkout process from there. Within 48 hours you get a virtual proof to approve. Approve your proof and your pins will be in your furry little paws in about 6 weeks. Shipping's always free too!”
5: How much does it cost?
“The most popular bundle right now is 70 pins for $650. There are bigger and smaller options available too. Each pin comes with your Token ID laser etched on the back, and mounted on a card and wrapped, ready for you to pass it out to your new friends!”
6: Do you have anything else you’d like to add?
“Well speaking of new friends, we have a "Pin Pals" program and basically all that means is, you opt in at checkout to have an extra of one of your new pins included in future Ape's orders. We've been blown away by the near 100% opt-in rate of this program and we've been so happy to see the resultant connections take shape on Twitter! A lot of people have been asking about a way for Apes looking to trade to connect. Stay Tuned on this! We'll be making a Twitter Community/ Discord announcement soon! Final thought from Elaine and I is, this crazy ApePins experiment we started last Fall would be nothing without the support, orders and love from the community, so to everyone from the 500+ pin order customers to the person who liked just 1 of our tweets, THANK YOU!”
Check out some of the Pins that Chris and Elaine have made below:
