Pavel Durov Gifts $12,000 Worth of Plush Pepe NFT to a Telegram Designer

Telegram founder Pavel Durov purchased Plush Pepe #834 for 7,500 Gram (GRAM) on The Open Network, then transferred the NFT to Adler Toberg, a designer linked to Telegrams interface and gift system. The acquisition marks Durovs third confirmed purchase of a TON collectible in just over six months. He added his first Plush Pepe in December 2025, then picked up a Telegram Gift NFT in January 2026. Together, the moves reflect deliberate and ongoing personal engagement with the digital asset layer Telegram continues to build. Plush Pepes and the TON Collectibles Market Plush Pepes are Telegrams official collectibles series, issued natively on The Open Network (TON). At GRAMs current price of $1.55, the 7,500 GRAM spent on Plush Pepe #834 comes to roughly $11,625. The specific piece is the Donatello model, a 1% rarity variant, with a Bell Pepper symbol (0.5%) and a Navy Blue backdrop (2%). Of the 2,861 Donatello editions, 2,825 have found owners. TON development has accelerated alongside the demand for collectibles. A major protocol upgrade made TON 10 times faster, cutting transaction times to sub-second finality. On the product side, GOAT Gamings Underground Pepe moved Plush Pepes beyond profile accessories. The project turned them into active gaming assets, complete with a dedicated rewards currency. Secondary market activity has also expanded. A Telegram username sold for 500,000 USDT in a recent TON NFT resale, reflecting strong demand for Telegram-native assets. Durov Gifts the NFT to Designer Adler Toberg The TON Blockchain X account responded to Durovs purchase with a dry piece of humor. It expressed hope that he would pass the NFT along to a Telegram intern as a workplace bonus. The joke turned out to be close to the truth. Durov transferred Plush Pepe #834 directly to Adler Toberg, a designer known for his work on Telegrams interface and gift system. Toberg has previously made public statements about the direction of Telegrams collectibles program, including the cadence of new gift releases. The transfer points to something real. Within the Telegram ecosystem, collectibles now carry social weight as markers of community standing. Durovs decision to give a high-value NFT to a member of his team reinforces that dynamic. His role as Telegrams CEO makes each on-chain move a visible signal across the network. TON Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto Markets The token itself also changed course this year. GRAM was rebranded from Toncoin following an 81% governance vote, reverting to the name from Telegrams original 2018 whitepaper. The chain also broadened its reach through Apple Watch integration and a wider ecosystem push.