Limited Edition Beenz: Mind of Gus
Chiru Labs, the parent company behind Azuki, has announced a collaboration with Hong Kong creative director SK to launch the limited edition vinyl toy "Mind of Gus," with a lottery set for November 2nd.
BEANZ, introduced in April 2022, is a hand-drawn NFT collection featuring 16 types of BEANZ spanning 19,950 PFP.
For those new to the Azuki world, Gus is one of the original BEANZ members, known for playful and humorous antics, yet characterized by a pure heart. Other BEANZ members include Red Bean Toshi, Black Bean Link, Flat Bean Dao, Coffee Bean Johnny C, and more. Each BEANZ has its unique story—especially Gus, who always seems to find trouble for some reason.
However, according to an announcement shared with NFT Now on October 27th, this vinyl toy is more than just a collectible. Each resin toy is linked to a Physical Backing Token (PBT), allowing collectors to "dive deep into the mind of Gus Beanz."
This open-source standard was established by Chiru Labs in May, allowing creators to link physical items to NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. While most physical items and their NFTs may decouple after minting or sale, PBT provides decentralized identity verification, enabling anyone to verify the ownership lineage of the physical item using a smartphone without the need for a central server.
Chiru Labs uses their encrypted BEANZ chip to link their NFTs to their respective items, such as the new limited edition Gus resin toy. Anyone can create their PBT through the PBT website.
Lam, the creative director and curator of Hong Kong creative studio AllRightsReserved founded in 2013, has collaborated with leading contemporary artists such as KAWS, Florentijn Hofman, and Yayoi Kasuma. Lam's style has been crucial, from the awe-inspiring 16.5-meter-high inflatable rubber duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman to the globally renowned 1,600-piece panda sculpture exhibition created by French art master Paulo Grangeon.
Notably, Lam's extensive collaboration with KAWS has yielded coveted limited-edition toys and large-scale statue pieces, further solidifying his reputation in the art world.
Through a special community lottery event (now open until Thursday, November 2nd, 11:59 PM Pacific Time), Chiru Labs will draw 530 "Mind of Gus" resin figurines for Beanz and Hoarder badge holders through Azuki collector profiles. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 8th. Badge holders can win a maximum of 1 resin art toy in the draw. By owning the Gus vinyl toy, collectors will continue to uncover more background stories of the blue Beanz.
