Backgrounds

A Note on ENS Avatars (Background Colors)

A common point of confusion, especially for those new to historical ENS domains, relates to the background colors seen on ENS avatars displayed on marketplaces like OpenSea.

The Myth:

There was a period when OpenSea dynamically generated different colored backgrounds for ENS domain NFTs. Some mistakenly believe that these colors (e.g., red, green, purple) indicate that a domain is a Prepunk or holds some other special status.

The Reality:

• Temporary OpenSea Feature: The colored backgrounds were a temporary feature implemented by OpenSea before the official ENS metadata standard for avatars was widely adopted.

• Not Indicative of Prepunk Status: These colors have no correlation with whether a domain is a Prepunk or its registration date. They were simply an aesthetic choice by OpenSea at the time.

• Standardized Avatars: ENS now has a standardized way for users to set their own avatars via the avatar text record in their ENS profile. Most marketplaces now display either this user-set avatar or a default ENS avatar (typically with a blue gradient background).

• Metadata Refresh: If you see an ENS domain on a marketplace with an old, non-standard colored background, it usually means the marketplace hasn't refreshed the metadata for that specific token recently. Refreshing the metadata on the marketplace (often an option on the token page) will usually update it to the standard blue default or the user's chosen avatar.

Key Takeaway:

Do NOT rely on the background color of an ENS avatar on a marketplace to determine if it is a Prepunk. This is an outdated visual artifact from a specific marketplace and is not a reliable indicator of historical status. Always use proper verification methods based on registration date and data records.