Iron Maiden is setting aside the parchment and heading to the NFT space. Funko and The Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX) have partnered to release a collection of Digital Pop! NFTs of Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie, Billboard can exclusively report.
According to Funko, Iron Maiden, who recently released 17th studio album Senjutsu, is the first musical artist who is receiving the company’s Digital Pop! treatment. The heavy metal band’s mascot — who has appeared on Iron Maiden’s album covers, on merchandise, in concerts, and more — will be animated in the NFT collection, and will include 44 different versions of Eddie as Digital Pops.
“We are huge Iron Maiden fans here at Funko and couldn’t be more excited to have our inaugural music Digital Pop! NFT be music icon Eddie,” says Funko ceo Brian Mariotti. “Iron Maiden and Funko fans alike appreciate creative genius in music and pop culture. Now, they can celebrate both in digital form.”
The Eddie NFTs will be available beginning Sept. 30 in packs containing five digital Pops! and 15 digital Pops!, with prices starting at $9.99, and a total of 24,000 packs available. There will be a maximum limit of $30 allowed per transaction; a WAX wallet is required to purchase the NFTs.
Aside from venturing into the world of NFTs, Iron Maiden recently made headlines with Senjutsu. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Sept. 18, making Senjutsu the band’s highest charting album yet. (On the Senjutsu cover, mascot Eddie is depicted as a bloody samurai holding a katana.) The rockers previously reached a peak of No. 4 on the all-genre chart with 2015’s The Book of Souls and 2010’s The Final Frontier.
Funko is no stranger when it comes to creating likenesses of pop culture icons, including musicians. Over the summer, the company partnered with Walmart for an exclusive set of “Dynamite” Funko Pop! figures featuring K-pop superstars BTS. Other musicians who have received the Funko Pop! treatment include TLC, Boyz II Men, Green Day, Guns N’ Roses, Britney Spears, Queen, Run DMC, Deadmau5, and many others.
Get a sneak peek at Funko’s Digital Pop! NFTs of Iron Maiden mascot Eddie below:
