We need more funny tweets. There’s a lot of serious discussion on Twitter. And though there are always things to learn, sometimes, I want something more light-hearted. Sanford Ford, a member of The Ape Society, is an account that always seems to make me laugh. He and his sidekick Crudford’s antics make me chuckle, especially when I’ve been diving into more serious matters. It’s a needed reprieve from the dry content I usually find myself studying.
I wanted to talk to Sanford about how he got into posting his funny takes on things, and he was nice enough to agree.
The Comedian Who Isn’t A Comedian?
Sanford doesn’t really consider himself a comedian. He told me “I’ve always loved comedians and comedies. I just really like being ridiculous and making people chuckle.” Ford has always wanted to make people laugh, and he said “I learned early on that the more surreal I made my ramblings, the more unique it would become, so I leaned into it a little harder.”
He may not be the classic example of a stand-up comic, but an ape that can make people laugh is unique. He uses a lot of visuals to get his jokes across, and they almost always make me guffaw at his capers with Crudford.
There is an intentional silliness in most of what he says, but that’s on purpose. Seeing one of Sanford’s tweets pop into my timeline is always a joy, and there is nobody like Sanford Ford on the internet.
The Birth Of Crudford
If you’ve seen any of Sanford’s jokes on Twitter, you’ve most likely been introduced to Crudford, a more simple-minded ape that has some trouble figuring out the world around him. Crudford is the perfect foil for Sanford. When I asked Ford about Crudford’s origin, I was surprised at his answer. He said, “The first concept for Sanford was actually going to be this deformed Ape that was always very confused by NFTs, but I decided to keep him in his glorious original form.” Crudford could be described as a dolt, but to me, he seems more like an innocent child, trying to figure the world out.
Ford’s sidekick has an interesting take on every subject, and though he’s usually wrong, there’s comedy gold in his words. Ford explained how he was able to mold his friend into an unwitting partner in getting people to laugh. “Crudford gave me the ability to play with that concept, along with having a comedic partner for Sanford. Sanford can only stand there and spout surreal ramblings for so long.” Together Sanford and Crudford are always up to some hijinks, though it doesn’t appear Crudford has any idea he’s the butt of a joke.
How Rug-pulls Almost Discouraged Sanford Ford From Taking Part In The Community
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been rug-pulled on an NFT project. Many of these pulls deter people who would otherwise be contributing members of the non-fungible community. Sanford Ford talked to me about how he got into NFTs and how it took a cat to get him involved in The Ape Society.
Ford said, “I started dabbling in ETH NFTs a year ago. I really enjoyed the communities that these collections were building. I knew I wanted to get in early on Cardano NFTs and I bought a lot of slow rugs and it was discouraging.”
He told me that “many months later I saw Timmy from Cardano Ecosystem News talk about The Ape Society and I fell in love with the art. I joined the discord and ‘grinded’ for almost 12 hours straight to get a WL spot. When you grind for that long, other than going a little crazy, you get to know the community well and learn more about the founders. I minted 3 apes and it’s been my favorite project ever since. I feel so lucky I got to be in this community from the beginning.”
The Future Of Sanford Ford
I wanted to know more about Ford’s future in the comedic realm. He told me “I’m not entirely sure right now. I just want to make people laugh. If enough people like my weird humor, I suppose this could lead to things like my own NFT collection or fractionalizing Sanford, but I honestly don’t even think about that.” He continued, “For now, I feel like my NFT is the perfect platform to explore my more experimental and silly concepts.” I wholeheartedly agree with that. I think that this could be a popular way for talented people to build a brand while keeping their IRL life separated.
Ford has used his NFT to build a brand he would not have been able to develop without his nom-de-plum. As a professional in the real world, he wasn’t sure using his personal name was a good idea: When we talked about it, he said “It’s always been really hard for me to write stuff like this on social media because I want to remain professional for my career, but since I’m hidden behind Sanford and anonymous, I feel like I can write anything. It’s really really fun.”
Ford Is Another Great Example Of People Using NFTs To Build A Brand.
Avatars AKA PFPs are a great opportunity to build an international brand. Sanford agrees (though I’m not sure Crudford understood any of those words). Ford agrees with the first part at least. He told me “It’s so fun seeing the Cardano NFT community grow and it’s especially awesome seeing people’s PFPs become a brand and a voice. Thorpe Brown comes to mind as someone who has done a tremendous job marketing his ape. He’s inspired so many to have fun and wonder “What personality does my ape have?” We apes, and other projects bring an opportunity that only big brands could take advantage of until recently.
I believe we’ve only just begun to see this phenomenon mature. We already have many people taking advantage of this already. From Philosophers, cooks, and comedians, to music producers and even myself, we are adding utility to our projects that far exceed the kind of things you’d expect to see in a white paper.
It’s apes like Sanford Ford that will expedite the process of bringing blockchain and non-fungible tokens to the masses. We have only started writing the story of NFTs, we are so early. When we look back in 5 years, I believe we will see people like Sanford Ford as pioneers.
NFTs are going to change the world, one ape at a time.
