CryptoPunks were released & free to claim in 2017, but were not safely tradable. This modern wrapper allows Punks to be traded on current NFT marketplaces.
CryptoPunks have a transparent background for visualization of their current status, the lavender background designates the Punk has been safely wrapped.
The recovery of the original Punks smart contract is a community driven project.
CryptoPunks are 24x24 pixel art images, generated algorithmically. Most are punky-looking guys and girls, but there are a few rarer types mixed in: Apes, Zombies and even the odd Alien.
CryptoPunks are 10,000 uniquely generated characters. No two are exactly alike, and each one can be trustlessly collected by anyone interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. Originally, Punks could be claimed for free using any Ethereum wallet with enough $ETH to cover gas fees.
Every Punk has their own profile page that shows their attributes as well as their ownership/for-sale status here's an example.