Popular, long-running children’s TV show Sesame Street announced this week that it was joining the digital art world and launching a collection of Cookie Monster NFTs. Sesame Workshop will release 5,555 editions costing $60 each on Sunday , the first in a series featuring Sesame Street characters.
The PBS show, now in its 54th year, has joined forces with VeVe, an app that serves as a platform for the buying and selling of licensed digital collectibles. Its first foray into the world of non-fungible tokens is an image of the Cookie Monster beside an oven, which presumably has cookies baking inside.
Here are 10 other pop culture characters, brands and moments that have been turned into NFTs.
1. Coca-Cola
The world-famous soft drink brand launched four NFT collections in 2021 to celebrate its first anniversary in the metaverse.
Partnering with 3D art platform Tafi it auctioned a multisensory NFT inside a Friendship Box, which is itself another NFT.
The piece included a custom-designed Coca-Cola Bubble Jacket, featuring an unlockable version that could be worn in the Decentraland 3D virtual reality platform. Proceeds from the auction went to the Special Olympics.
2. Star Wars
Disney released its first NFT collection in May last year via blind box format, a framework similar to buying packs of trading cards without knowing exactly which are inside.
The Star Wars Dark Side Collection was launched with three Darth Vader NFTs: Dark Lord of the Sith, Beware the Dark Side and The Emperor’s Fist.
Disney also released the Lightsaber NFTs collection, which included Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Kylo Ren’s weapons.
3. The NBA
The National Basketball Association labelled its 2020 foray into NFTs “Top Shot”, selling digital versions of sports trading cards using blockchain technology.
They include video highlights of NBA and WNBA teams and players, and collectors can participate in challenges to win more.
Moments up for grabs include those by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards.
4. Spider-Man
Marvel swung into the NFT-verse with a launch of digital Spider-Man collectibles in 2021.
The studio partnered with VeVe to create five limited-edition categories, including rare, ultra-rare and secret-rare collectables, all priced between $40 and $400.
It followed up with a Captain America series collection.
5. Doge meme
The image of a shiba inu dog named Kabosu looking at the camera with suspicion first appeared online in 2010 and went on to become one of the internet’s most popular memes.
Called “Doge”, in June 2021, it became the most expensive meme NFT ever sold. A group of collectors known as PleasrDAO bought the piece for $4 million (1,697 of the cryptocurrency Ethereum).
Don Caldwell, editor-in-chief of online database Know Your Meme, called Doge “one of the most iconic memes in internet history”.
6. Nickelodeon’s ‘Rugrats’ and ‘Hey Arnold’
The popular children’s cartoons were given the NFT treatment when 10,000 unique collectibles were released last year, featuring images of the characters and memorable moments from the show.
The network teamed up with Recur to add NFTs of 12 characters from the shows Invader Zim and AAAHH!!! Real Monsters.
7. Funko Pops
The team behind the pop culture character miniatures make regular digital collectibles of their series in the shape of Funko Digital Pops.
They are animated and come in limited print runs with varying levels of rarity.
Top-selling releases include Scooby Doo, Star Trek and popular US painter, Bob Ross.
8. Lay’s Potato Chips
The global crips brand owned by PepsiCo entered the NFT market in 2021 with its “Share smiles with Lay’s” collection.
The digital asset featured over 3,000 smiles, with the online auction raising over $300,000, which was donated to charity.
9. Disney
The Mouse House offers an array of collectables as part of its Golden Moments Disney NFT collection, which was launched last year.
The collection includes the Magic Lamp from Aladdin which grants the original buyer two special wishes from VeVe; The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey from the 1940s animation Fantasia and Elsa from Frozen.
10. Hello Kitty
The beloved Japanese character created by Sanrio was launched as an NFT in August 2022 with a drop of 10,000 collectibles focused on six characters from Hello Kitty and Friends.
The NFTs were sold in suitcase packs with which collectors could “travel” the world completing challenges and collecting special stamp NFTs in Premium, Rare, or Ultra-Rare categories.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Sevilla v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad (7.15pm)
Eibar v Valencia (9.30pm)
Atletico Madrid v Alaves (11.45pm)
Sunday
Girona v Getafe (3pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7.15pm)
Las Palmas v Espanyol (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Deportivo la Coruna (11.45pm)
Monday
Malaga v Real Betis (midnight)
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
more from Janine di Giovanni
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')
Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)
Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
