--- title: "Teen Makes $700,000 Selling Action Figures of Bored Apes to Adult Children" description: "18-year-old Ricky da Luz, for instance, figured out people go absolutely hog wild over physical representations of their Bored Ape NFTs." date: "2022-06-24" modified: "2022-06-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/teen-selling-physical-bored-apes" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Future Society" tags: - "bored apes" - "nfts" - "the digest" --- # Teen Makes $700,000 Selling Action Figures of Bored Apes to Adult Children ![18-year-old Ricky da Luz, for instance, figured out people go absolutely hog wild over physical representations of their Bored Ape NFTs.]() *\Image: IsmToys\* ## NFT Toys While NFT collectors are still spending appreciable amounts of money on JPEGs, others are finding creative ways to cash in on the trend in less digital ways. Take 18-year-old Ricky da Luz, for instance, who [*Insider* reports]() figured out that people go absolutely hogwild over physical representations of their Bored Ape NFTs. In fact, he's already sold collectors $700,000 worth of NFT busts, toys, and action figures. ## Physical Apes With the help of his dad and six staff members, da Luz's venture, called IsmToys, has grown into a considerable business — complete with all the jargon you'd expect from the web3 world. "We're tripling down on helping Web2 companies enter the Web3 space, while also converting their audience into Web3 people," da Luz told *Insider*. "We link the toys to actual NFTs and the digital assets act as authenticators for the toys." The company is selling commissioned creations that are one-to-one unique with a specific NFT for an average of $700, as well as other toys that are cheaper and not unique. Naturally, IsmToys mostly takes payment in Ethereum. ## Emotionally Attached The [NFT.NYC conference]() happening right now is also boosting sales, with da Luz claiming the company has taken in over 200 orders. "I'm emotionally attached to my Ape, so having toys of my Ape is reinforcing my emotional attachment to my digital persona," a collector who goes by @nftgerry told *Insider*. There we have it, folks — while NFT collectors are pining to get "exclusive" rights over a digital drawing, others are already yearning to take the act of collecting back to its roots: a cluttered shelf of keepsakes. **READ MORE:** [This 18-year-old just raked in $700,000 of revenue selling Bored Ape toys — and NFT holders say the physical replicas reinforce their attachment to digital identities.]() \[*Insider*\] **More on NFTs:** *[Family Guy Actor Pays Huge Ransom for Stolen Bored Ape]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()