Blockchain Platform Offers Digital Collectibles of World Leaders and Politicians Posted on : Jul 14 - 2018

A blockchain-based platform is giving people the chance to buy unique, digital collectibles inspired by public figures and political leaders — including politicians, such as Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, and media personalities, like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.

Each Crypton comes with a handcrafted image of the person it represents. Humorous or satirical “gaglines” can be added underneath and shared on social media in order to comment on matters of public interest or just to have fun. Examples of edgy captions so far have included Mark Zuckerberg (“Elections are more fun with FB,”) Jeff Bezos (“Poor Donald… I am 100x richer,”) and Sarah Palin (“Don’t misunderestimate me”).

The company behind the concept, Crypton Labs, believes this form of expression will prove to be far more effective and sophisticated than the “dry word fights” or messages seen on Twitter. In the future, it plans to add short audio clips and animations to Cryptons — and even allow owners to use an image of themselves to create their own Crypton. Historical figures and famous fictional characters can also be collected.

When it comes to ownership, an automatic price escalation feature has been introduced, which means someone’s Crypton can be purchased by someone else for twice the price. Most of the revenues go back to the person who has lost their collectible, creating the prospect of making a profit. It is also possible to pay a one-time protection fee in order to prevent a Crypton from changing hands. This feature allows owners to set their own selling price.

According to Crypton Labs, snapping up the Crypton for someone who is considering a run for U.S. president in 2020 or 2024 might not be worth much now, but it could be in high demand a few years down the line, if they become a candidate or win the election.

Varun Gupta, the company’s co-founder, told Cointelegraph that the Cryptons don't trade on some celebrity's image only for profit.  Rather, they are transformative and artistic creative works and a powerful expressive tool protected by freedom of expression. The company's representative added that the Crypton personalities are selected based on various criteria but the most important criteria is whether they are of public interest.  Politicians and world leaders squarely fall within that category. To the company's knowledge, the project has not received any legal complaints or queries. View More