Chimpers initially started as a small community-driven adventure game based on pixel art and deep knowledge, and has now grown into a globally recognized brand, making waves both on and off-chain. Over the past two years, Chimpers has naturally become one of the most talked-about web3-native brands, with over 1.7 million followers across all social platforms.
The collaboration between Chimpers and Final Bosu officially launched last Friday (June 13) through the Chimpers Card App. On the launch day, players holding Chimpers, Final Bosu, Pudgy Penguins, and Lil Pudgy could claim a gift pack for free, limited to one per wallet, with over 2000 redeemed on the first day.
The gift pack claim ended on June 17 (Tuesday), followed by a public sale. The team stated that some gift packs included reward cards redeemable for Chimpers NFTs and Final Bosu NFTs, as well as special physical merchandise like limited edition T-shirts and 1/1 Pudgy special edition figures.
We sat down with Jacob Timperley, one of the founding twins of Chimpers, to discuss how this world has evolved from early pixel art roots to breakthrough success on TikTok, and how they view the future of collectibles, storytelling, and web3 community building.
OpenSea: What attracted you to give up a more traditional career path to dive into NFTs and community building?
Jacob Timperley: My story is a bit boring—I basically followed my twin brother Timpers, who is a pixel artist. At the beginning of 2021, when we graduated from university, he entered this field. He had been making pixel art tutorials on YouTube and designing live stream packages for people like Pokimane and Tfue. In 2021, he discovered NFTs on Twitter and started creating artwork, and suddenly people began collecting his work on Foundation.
Before this, he was doing commissioned work and freelancing, but NFTs gave him the freedom to create. Meanwhile, as an English major graduate, I was looking for a job, but seeing him enter this field fascinated me. I created a Twitter account and a Substack newsletter to interview creators and founders.
Timpers joined early communities like Bored Apes, where he truly built connections. He created one of the earliest derivative series: a pixel art adventure game featuring apes, which was released on OpenSea before the smart contract appeared. The project received a warm welcome from the community, and he invited me to assist with community building, which I have always been passionate about. That’s how it all began. Once the series ended, people were eager to see what he would create next that truly belonged to him.
OpenSea: Wow, that's so interesting! How did you both start collaborating more deeply?
Jacob Timperley: Everything has been very grassroots; we didn’t expect it to develop to this extent. The early series had a small but focused community—about 100 ape holders. It felt natural to evolve from derivative works to creating our own IP, and that’s how (Chimpers) was born. Its name comes from the rhyme with Timpers and the connection with apes.
We both love East Asian anime and kawaii culture, which deeply influenced our style: quirky, adventurous characters that feel like part of a game but also resonate. Initially, I focused on building the community and crafting the backstory, and over time, its development exceeded our expectations.
OpenSea: The project's development is truly amazing. How do you balance narrative-driven legend with visual and gamified elements?
Jacob Timperley: From the beginning, we were committed to building Chimpers as a multimedia brand: games, stories, collectibles, lifestyle. In the first year, we focused on building the world and involving the community in this journey. We concentrated on storytelling, creating mini-games, novels, and intricate lore.
Now, we are shifting towards brand growth and mainstream coverage, which requires balance—sometimes we focus on brand storytelling, and sometimes we focus on scaling the brand. Today, our goal is to promote Chimpers to a broader audience while keeping the brand foundation intact.
OpenSea: Can you talk about dojo and its role in the narrative?
Jacob Timperley: The inspiration for dojo came from that anime-inspired world. When we were creating this series, Timpers chose a PFP that would resonate—a black chimp in the style of a seasoned kung fu master—who later became 'Sensei Master Chimpo'. He became central to the dojo, where students train, complete tasks, and play pranks. The dojo laid a solid foundation for the world we built, transitioning from games to collectible cards.
OpenSea: How did you cultivate such a strong community from the very beginning?
Jacob Timperley: It all started with (Boring Ape Chronicles), where we constantly interacted with holders to co-create stories, which benefited us greatly. When (Chimpers) launched, we focused on collaboration and connection: getting to know the holders, building relationships, and giving back to the community through rewards and events. We have always been a part of the community, not isolated. I think that’s the key.
OpenSea: Chimpers is expanding so rapidly; what makes it a strong candidate for IP and brand growth?
Jacob Timperley: Timpers has designed itself uniquely from day one—full of adventure, style, and easily accessible to a broad audience. It was originally inspired by pixel art but evolved into illustrations, cards, and more. In 2023, we realized that to truly globalize, we needed to reach the pain points of the audience: Instagram, TikTok, and so on.
We launched Chimpi & Frens, a group of young chimpanzees on fun explorations, designed to make people laugh. This content helped us expand the IP beyond Web3. They are original characters derived from the Chimpers universe, aimed at incorporating the core themes of our world—adventure, mischief, and fun—into engaging short content.
OpenSea: Have you noticed different reactions from web2 and web3 audiences?
Jacob Timperley: In the web3 era, people love story settings. On social media, people first resonate with characters and fun, engaging content. Seeing both sides resonate is gratifying. Like other brands (such as Pudgy Penguins, Claynosaurz, and Doodles), we first focused on entertainment as a gateway to web3.
OpenSea: What are the next steps for Chimpers and you and your brother?
Jacob Timperley: Our growth momentum is strong: we are the number one ranked web3 IP on TikTok with 869,000 followers. We are creating more touchpoints—plush toys, our Minecraft world, brand licensing, trade shows. We just partnered with Kung Fu Bubble Tea, and its impact has even surpassed some of their promotional campaigns with large IPs like (The Lord of the Rings).
The Chimpers Card App is helping us build a new audience across chains through gamified collecting and rewarding experiences. Collaborations like the one with Final Bosu launched on Abstract show how Chimpers helps connect ecosystems and communities, which has always been our strength. Similarly, we were one of the first web3 platforms to launch sticker packs on the Telegram blockchain TON, selling out 555 sticker packs in just 30 seconds—one of the fastest sticker pack sales in history.
As our online business accelerates, we are also actively expanding offline explorations. We are preparing to launch our first online store featuring NFC physical goods closely tied to our digital collectibles world. We look forward to seeing 'Chimpers' in physical retail stores, pop culture hotspots, and the growing number of stores across Asia. We are also collaborating with lifestyle and pop culture brands to develop the 'Chimpers' character, continuing to build it as a beloved global IP. Our goal is to become the most popular chimpanzee world in pop culture.
OpenSea: That's amazing, congratulations! Jacob, I’m honored.
Jacob Timperley: Likewise!
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