Three years after beginning production activities, AniMints, the animation studio and creative support arm of Yaad Labs Ltd, has successfully produced its first animated short series—The Tipsy Turtles.

The Jamaican startup established in 2022 is on a mission to grow original Caribbean intellectual property (IP) through world-class illustration and animated storytelling. Thanks to UNESCO’s Creative Caribbean Grant, AniMints has laid the foundation for a new model of digital monetisation powered by blockchain technology.

AniMints has adopted the familiar model of ‘content meets collectables’—like Pokémon’s relationship to trading cards or Disney’s cartoons to its merchandise—and applied it to the digital age. The studio plans to sell its main characters as digital collectables (NFTs), giving fans the chance to own a piece of the show they love.

“The grant funding was essential in completing the studio’s ambitious production goals: 30 character turnarounds, 101 detailed backgrounds, and over 640 seconds of animated content. These assets form the creative backbone of AniMints’ business strategy—content that can now be directly monetised and leveraged to attract clients and collaborators across the globe,” Jaymeon Jones, founder of YaadLabs, shared.

With production wrapped and the series “export-ready”, AniMints has already begun to see real results. The studio has received multiple client inquiries, secured paying animation contracts, and generated over US$34,000 in NFT and digital collectable sales.

“This early success demonstrates the commercial viability of blending Caribbean-inspired storytelling with cutting-edge blockchain distribution on platforms such as Twitter/X, Discord, and the Cardano Blockchain,” Jones said.

Preserving Caribbean culture

Aside from immediate business outcomes, the project also had a meaningful social impact. The grant enabled AniMints to hire and fairly compensate six regional creatives, providing valuable income and experience in a challenging industry. Collaborations with other independent studios, such as Cmills Animation Studio, strengthened local creative networks and ensured production quality remained high.

AniMints is already expanding its vision. Building on the success of The Tipsy Turtles, the studio is developing Anansi Tales, an animated series designed to preserve and modernise Afro-Caribbean folklore.

“By recording stories on the blockchain, AniMints hopes to both protect cultural heritage and ensure its longevity for future generations,” Jones explained.

Since receiving the grant, Yaad Labs and AniMints have achieved significant milestones— raising capital, securing new funding, placing in the top 10 of an international accelerator programme, and signing a major collaboration with Draper University, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture networks.

“The completion of The Tipsy Turtles marks a turning point for AniMints: the successful fusion of Caribbean creativity, digital innovation, and sustainable business strategy. With a proven model and a growing audience, AniMints is poised to make the region’s next great cultural export—one animated frame at a time,” the company stated.