Pudgy Penguins, one of the best-known profile-picture NFT collections launched in July 2021, marked its fourth anniversary this week. Leading marketplaces OpenSea and Magic Eden publicly congratulated the project, underscoring the brand’s staying power in a sector that has thinned out since the 2022 crypto downturn. The birthday generated renewed interest in the collection’s associated memecoin, PENGU. Social-media traders said the token has climbed about twelve-fold from its recent trough, likening the move to Dogecoin’s explosive rally in 2021. The rebound is being credited in part to a fresh marketing push led by Pudgy Penguins chief executive Luca Netz. Commentary circulating online also suggested the company recently secured funding that would value it near US$1 billion, although the firm has not publicly confirmed the figure. The surge in both community buzz and token prices highlights the continued appetite for speculative digital assets even as the broader crypto market remains below its highs.