Gary Vee Follows Jim Henson’s Example With VeeFriends

Vee turned toward those childhood memories when he wanted to expand his market in 2021 by creating VeeFriends. Citing his own “entrepreneurial ambitions” and looking at “AI and blockchain, and “the trend of collectibility,” Vee saw “an opportunity to build something very meaningful.” But that meant changing his approach.

“My personal brand started getting bigger and I, as Gary Vee, was becoming popular because I was spreading love and accountability, and I talked about stuff that was impactful on me,” he explains.

Vee sees VeeFriends as a way to speak the language of children and families. As evidence that he’s found that language, Vee points to his characters such as Patient Pig, a cartoon swine who advises children, “Patience isn’t complacency… it’s the ultimate ingredient for long term success.”

For Vee, those teachings set VeeFriends apart from other collectible card sets. “At first, I thought I was making something more like Disney or Pokémon,” he admits. “But as I went through my journey, I realized I was building more of a Jim Henson-like business. Yes, I would like to be as commercially successful as The Muppets or Sesame Street. But I do want to have a positive impact and help parents navigate this challenging parenting ecosystem.”

Even conceding that that Pokémon “is the biggest intellectual property in the world” and that he aspires “one day to have people care about VeeFriends even half as much as they care about Pokémon,” Vee thinks that there’s room for another card game next to monster franchise. “I do feel that, over time, it will become obvious that there’s more meaning and deepness to VeeFriends,” he ventures.

As an example, Vee points to his character, Reliable Rat. “As you know, being a rat is not a good thing. That means you’re stabbing someone in the back, you’re doing the wrong thing by them. You also know that ‘reliable’ is one of the most admirable words. With VeeFriends, I’m desperate to change perceptions.