Skip to Content
Art

‘Crypto Homies’ Will Turn Iconic 90s Toy Figurines Like ‘Mr. Raza,’ ‘Big Loco,’ and Friends Into NFTs. Estimated Value? $100 Million

11:20 AM PST on December 15, 2021

Homies, the toy figurines famous for keeping it real, are joining the art market that’s all but virtual.

David Gonzales, the artist who brought the world both the Homies comic strip in Lowrider Magazine and later the collectible toys, announced the launch of “Crypto Homies” on his Instagram, conveying characters both beloved and reviled into the futuristic world of NFTs. Short for non-fungible tokens, these are one-of-a-kind digital artworks allotted only to a specific buyer, trackable through the blockchain. And that's about all we got on that.

Gonzalez is collaborating on a series of 13 NFTs with a new agency called “Non-Fungible Art,” which promises “white glove” service in bringing people and companies’ creative properties into the world of blockchain art. The Homies pieces will launch on the new Crypto Homies website in the first quarter of next year to celebrate the 25th birthday of the toys' release, promising 13 initial works featuring six first series Homies, including Droopy, Mr. Raza, Big Loco, and Eightball.

When Homies figures were first released in 1998, they created a frenzy, embraced by some for a physical manifestation of barrio caricatures said to be inspired by the artists’ own circle of friends, while others, including the LAPD and the Imagen Foundation, derided them as portraying community-damaging Chicano stereotypes and/or toys that promote gang membership, leading to a ban on sales at major retailers like Walmart. Either way, the toys became a massive phenomenon, going from plastic figures you’d get in a plastic bubble from a candy machine to highly sought collectibles with sales of over 120 million figurines.

Currently, the Crypto Homies website has a waiting list and has warned potential buyers that the site is so popular, it has experienced server issues. Which could just be the NFT equivalent to holding a long line outside of the club. Or a true reflection of how much digital art buyers want to get their hands on these slices of late 90s nostalgia.

The Homies NFTs are said to be meeting a demand for digital art from Gonzales. The works will live as interactive 3D pieces on the ETH blockchain that belong to whoever is crazy enough to buy these things, and also viewable on a Homies AR App. The first releases will be released in original colorways, along with limited-edition versions in tones such as silver and gold. Purchases will come with potential surprises such as actual real-world art by Gonzales and conceivable entry to a Crypto Homies Lowrider Car Club and a chance to win an actual lowrider.

So at least when you buy a Homies NFT, there’s some potential real-world benefit beyond just being the individual who spent their life savings on an arguably existent drawing of this foo.

But if you thought trying to track wheelchair homie down proved difficult as a kid, the estimated $100 million value of the initial Homies NFTs puts the attainability of these original six characters into a new stratosphere.

If you’re still down for this brave new world of Homies art, you can sign up for the waiting list right here.

Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer

Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid. 

September 20, 2023

‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios

In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.

September 19, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023
See all posts