Dairy Queen Is Doing an NFT Thing in China Apparently

It appears that NFT fever has finally arrived at the Dairy Queen in Chengdu.

A southwest Chinese outpost of the popular American frozen treat purveyor announced Wednesday that it has kicked off a pop-up collaboration with NFT brand Weirdo Ghost Gang. 

From today through December 31, visitors of the Dairy Queen on Chunxi Road in Chengdu—the capital of China’s Sichuan province—will find themselves immersed in a “ghost ski resort” when fetching their favorite ice cream snacks. For six weeks, the location will play host to an unending “year-end ski party,” per Weirdo Ghost Gang.

The pop-up will also feature limited-edition co-branded merchandise from both companies, including a beanie that “injects winter vitality and maximizes fashion sense when going out on the street,” and a canvas bag designed to “fill… the atmosphere of going out in winter,” according to a post made by Dairy Queen China’s official Weibo account, translated by Google.

At the Chengdu Dairy Queen, as well as at a second Dairy Queen location on Huaihai Middle Road in Shanghai, dessert enthusiasts will also get to taste a limited-edition “ski ghost mixing bowl”—an ice cream sundae made to look like a ski slope, that will feature ice cream, “crispy” toppings, “rich chocolate sauce, classic ingredients, and a rich taste."

The collaboration comes amidst increasing interest in tapping into NFTs as a newfound source of intellectual property, or IP. Numerous companies, from Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs to Disney, have recently attempted—with varying degrees of success—to leverage NFT brands into broader product integrations.

For many NFT brands, such moves represent an attempt to shift away from dependence on revenue from NFT sales themselves, following the collapse of NFT trading volume last spring. 

Last month, the struggling NFT market had its best showing in months. Those apparently encouraging figures, however, were still down 93% from the market’s peak in April 2022.

Edited by Andrew Hayward