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 Telegram’s interface and gift system.

The acquisition marks Durov’s 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 Telegram’s official collectibles series, issued natively on The Open Network (TON). At GRAM’s 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.

he sent it to Adler pic.twitter.com/x7qD42OOwa

— Gio (@Giooton) June 26, 2026

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 Gaming’s 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 Durov’s 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 Telegram’s interface and gift system. Toberg has previously made public statements about the direction of Telegram’s 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. Durov’s decision to give a high-value NFT to a member of his team reinforces that dynamic.

His role as Telegram’s CEO makes each on-chain move a visible signal across the network.

The token itself also changed course this year. GRAM was rebranded from Toncoin following an 81% governance vote, reverting to the name from Telegram’s original 2018 whitepaper. The chain also broadened its reach through Apple Watch integration and a wider ecosystem push.