Oekaki Connect
| Oekaki Connect | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Art collective, creative studio |
| Key people | Haiku, Clementine, Ina, Tuby, Leancup, Atticus |
| Products | Oekaki Maker, Kemonokaki, Pixelady Maker, Pemuto, merchandise |
| Website | https://www.oekakiconnect.net |
Oekaki Connect is a distributed art collective and creative studio producing NFT collections, games, and multimedia works across visual art, literature, and technology.[1] The collective operates as an independent team of artists, programmers, writers, and creatives with a stated mission of relentless art production and building community-driven creative projects.
Oekaki Connect emerged from the Milady Maker community and became known for its flagship project Oekaki Maker, a hybrid hand-drawn and AI-generated NFT collection that launched in January 2023.[2] The collective describes its art as enthusiastic expression rooted in the cumulative remix of cultural adaptations, emphasizing accessible and joyful creative output over pretentious definitions of art.
History
Oekaki Connect formed around 2023 from collaborations within the Milady Maker community. The collective's founding members included Haiku, who later became COO of the NFT platform Scatter, along with artists Clementine, Ina, Tuby, Leancup, and Atticus.[3]
The name stems from oekaki, a Japanese term for drawing or sketching that was associated with early internet art communities and imageboards. The collective sought to capture the spirit of early web aesthetics and internet culture through contemporary digital art production.
In January 2025, Haiku stepped down from his role at Scatter to focus entirely on Oekaki Connect, signaling the collective's expansion into a more comprehensive creative studio with ambitions spanning games, platforms, and physical merchandise production.
Projects
NFT collections
Oekaki Maker launched on January 22, 2023, as a 5,555-piece collection combining hand-drawn traits with AI generation through Stable Diffusion.[4] The collection was designed to synthesize human artistry with machine generation, creating what the team called neo-oekaki aesthetics inspired by early web culture, Heisei-era anime, and internet subcultures. The project featured four aesthetic cores: Otaku, Dark, Cute, and Silly.
Kemonokaki launched in 2024 on the Base blockchain as a 10,000-piece collection featuring kemonomimi (animal-eared characters) and chibi aesthetics.[5] The collection drew inspiration from kemono-furry fashion, J-fashion subcultures including Rokku and Hime Gyaru, and featured 18 different character races. Artists involved included Kira, Ina, Meow, Karat, GC, Kiv, and PutridPierrette.
Pixelady Maker represents the collective's pixel art-focused franchise, created by artists Atticus and MRYT.[6] The series includes multiple iterations: the original Pixelady Maker collection featuring neo-chibi aesthetics inspired by street style tribes; Pixelady Maker BC, an expansion set with a spooky aesthetic; Pixelady Maker WOTLK, a winter-themed expansion that revived burned BC tokens as Death Knights; and Pixelady Maker: Cataclysm, a 20,000-piece collection which launched on the Abstract blockchain in 2025.[7] Cataclysm features post-apocalyptic aesthetics and offers free mints to holders of previous Pixelady collections, with BC holders receiving the highest multiplier.
Other collections include Pemuto (featuring characters Pemu and Toto), Girlonline (created by Ina), and Molady Maker (created by PutridPierrette).
Games and interactive media
Oekaki Connect announced plans for multiple game development projects in 2024-2025, including building an alternative timeline library as if the collective had existed as a game development company across multiple console generations. The collective's gaming ambitions include both original IP games and partner projects for external intellectual properties.
Physical merchandise
The collective produces physical merchandise including plushies, with the Kittykaki plushie becoming a popular product. Oekaki Connect has invested in establishing its own manufacturing capabilities in the United States for producing plushies, toy figures, prints, and general merchandise.
Platform development
The collective announced development of Kakichat, described as a Discord alternative supporting instant messaging, communities, voice chat, video streaming, and onchain messaging. The platform is positioned as infrastructure to ensure the collective and affiliated communities maintain independence from corporate platform control.
Philosophy and approach
Oekaki Connect operates on three stated pillars: Art, Fun, and Love. The collective describes itself as artist-first and emphasizes transparency, integrity, and relentless creative production. The collective's manifesto rejects limiting definitions of art, explicitly including video games and commercial work as legitimate artistic expression.
The collective positions itself against what it views as pretentious gatekeeping in art discourse, stating "We do not care for the opinions of those who would seek to limit the definition of art to only the most pretentious of expressions."[8]
Oekaki Connect embraces post-authorship principles common in the Remilia Corporation ecosystem, often crediting works to the collective rather than individual creators while still acknowledging specific contributors in documentation.
Controversies
In 2024, Oekaki Connect experienced conflicts with Base blockchain's community moderators and leadership. The collective published a blog post titled "We Will Win" detailing incidents where team members were banned from Base's Discord server and alleging that Base leadership showed no interest in supporting their community.[9] Following this conflict, the collective shifted focus toward other blockchain platforms including Polygon and Abstract.
In late 2024, the collective announced the death of artist Cecilie (PutridPierrette), who contributed to Kemonokaki and created the solo project Molady Maker. The collective mourned her loss publicly and memorialized her artistic contributions.
See also
References
- ↑ "Oekaki Connect". Oekaki Connect. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ @OekakiMaker (January 18, 2023). "Oekaki Maker will be minting on the Lunar New Year this Sunday on the 22nd!". X.
- ↑ Hunt, James (January 2, 2025). "'My work is done': Scatter COO steps down from Milady-themed NFT platform". The Block. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Oekaki Maker". Oekaki Connect. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ "The Paw-Print of Kemonokaki". Oekaki Connect. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Pixelady Maker". Oekaki Connect. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Pixelady Cataclysm". Oekaki Connect. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Oekaki Connect". Oekaki Connect. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ 2024. "We Will Win". Oekaki Connect. Retrieved December 11, 2025.