Doodles, for the majority of 2022, received a lot of harsh criticism for their perceived lack of innovation in the NFT space at a time when NFTs were largely drawing their value from associated utilities. To many, it seemed like Doodles was avoiding this aspect of the NFT market, relying solely on the quality of their artwork.

Their presence at NFT.NYC was also weak, with many people finding their events to be too corporate and “boring.” While this response was expected from the NFT crowd, it was true - Doodles was moving at a slower pace than other NFT projects and people were becoming skeptical of their value. Information on Doodles 2 and their Dooplicator airdrop was limited, making many wonder what was happening with the collection. 

Fortunately, the team behind Doodles has finally made an announcement on Doodles 2 and how the Dooplicator will function, but is it enough to satisfy their community?

Updates on Doodles 2 utilities

In a statement released by the Doodles team on Twitter, the overall goal of the Doodles 2 collection is to allow holders to create their own Doodle character. The idea is that holders will be able to create a piece of art under the Doodle style that is reflective of each person’s unique online personas. 

The Dooplicator will also be used in accordance with this goal of self-creation, giving holders the ability to create their own outfits with different traits such as shirts, pants, and accessories. 

Similar to y00ts?

One of the biggest takeaways from the new Doodles 2 collection is just how similar it is to y00ts. Y00ts is a collection that was designed to allow holders to change the apparel that their avatars wore within the token. 

It seems like Doodles has taken a page from this idea with their Dooplicator and not made something unique. Swappable clothing and accessories have already been in effect by y00ts for months now and their transition to Polygon could make them the superior collection in 2023. 

Utilizing Flow blockchain

Oddly though, the entire Doodles 2 collection will be hosted on the Flow blockchain which was a major player in the original NFT bull run of 2021 with the NBA Top Shot collection. The blockchain was integral to the massive excitement generated by NFTs, but was soon cast aside as more successful projects such as the Bored Ape Yacht Club, Doodles, and Cyber Kongz grew in popularity on the Ethereum network. 

This is leading many to question the decision to move Doodles 2 off of the Ethereum blockchain where it would have a closer relationship to the original collection; but the team at Doodles seems to believe that Flow is still a relevant blockchain because of the activity that happened on itin early 2021. 

However, this could be a major error as many traders from 2021 have left the NFT marketplace entirely (especially after 2022). Just because Flow was one of the first blockchains to popularize NFTs, doesn’t make it the wisest choice in 2023 when other networks like Polygon have larger communities and are better optimized for NFT trading. 

Moreover, swapping blockchain networks isn’t as simple as some might think. Ethereum is the largest web3 network by far and has major institutional investment backing it up with a nearly $200 billion market cap. That creates a level of confidence for investors who are not afraid to keep their assets liquid within the network using Ether or other layer 2 coins because many understand how important Ethereum is to the entire web3 industry. 

Flow, which has a market cap of $2 billion at the time of this writing, doesn’t have nearly the same amount of support from retail or institutional investors and many don’t want to move liquidity onto Flow for that reason. While Flow is an efficient network, it is not a preferred blockchain compared to more resilient networks in the market after falling from $39 to $1 since March 2021. 

Is Doodles still a blue chip?

Regardless of the criticism, Doodles still maintains a blue chip status, but that status is not guaranteed. Following a year of heavy criticism, utilizing a blockchain that has been largely forgotten for two years, and providing utilities that have already been explored by other big name projects doesn’t bode well for Doodles. 

Despite the original artwork, which is still the primary appeal of the collection, the team needs to find ways to create value that is as equally unique as the artwork instead of installing features that are too similar to what other projects are already doing.