Meme Culture in the Encryption World: A Review of the Seven Most Expensive Meme NFTs

Recently, a photo of a Shiba Inu wearing a knitted hat sold for a staggering $4.3 million, drawing attention to the Meme NFT market. This photo is not just an ordinary dog picture, but originates from the widely circulated "Dogwifhat" internet meme. This high sale price has made this NFT the most expensive Meme NFT to date.

However, this is not the first time that high-priced Meme NFTs have appeared. Over the years, the fusion of internet culture and encryption technology has given rise to a series of popular Meme NFTs. Here are the most expensive Meme NFTs in history:

1. Dogwifhat: 4.3 million USD

Last week, the Dogwifhat NFT was sold for 1,210.759 ETH (approximately $4.31 million). This astonishing price was largely due to the widespread dissemination of the original Dogwifhat meme since the end of 2019. In addition, the success of the Dogwifhat-inspired meme coin WIF in the Solana ecosystem also contributed to this astronomical transaction.

It is reported that this NFT photo was taken by a Korean owner in 2018. After deducting related fees, the seller will receive approximately $4.1 million in income. The renowned anonymous encryption currency trader GCR purchased this photo through a digital art platform.

2. Doge: 4.2 million USD

Before Dogwifhat, the record for the most expensive Meme NFT was held by Doge. On June 11, 2021, this NFT, known as the ancestor of all dog meme templates, was sold for 1696.9 ETH (approximately 4.234 million USD). The photo was originally taken by Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Satō, showcasing her Shiba Inu Kabosu, who is also the inspiration for the Doge meme.

Doge is not only an important element of internet culture, but also laid the foundation for the encryption world, inspiring the birth of the first meme coin, Dogecoin. Buyers subsequently split the Doge NFT into billions of tokens, creating enormous value and driving an ecosystem composed of Doge enthusiasts.

3. Frog Pepe: 3.5 million dollars

On October 5, 2021, the original Pepe the Frog Genesis NFT created by Matt Furie was sold for 1000 ETH (approximately 3.5 million USD). This green amphibian character has become widely popular on the internet and is closely associated with encryption culture, inspiring the successful meme coin Pepecoin on Ethereum last year.

This NFT represents the first comic strip file depicting the character drawn by Furie in November 2006. The buyer is an NFT fund formed by a certain encryption hedge fund and anonymous investors. It has been reported that this NFT was recently resold to an executive in the encryption industry with the assistance of a certain auction house.

4. Charlie Bit My Finger: $761,000

On May 22, 2021, one of the most iconic early YouTube videos, "Charlie Bit My Finger," was sold as an NFT for $760,999. The parents of the two children in the video hoped to raise funds for their children's college tuition through this method. This NFT was ultimately purchased by a collector in Dubai.

5. Nyan Cat: $590,000

On February 19, 2021, the NFT of the pixel animation Nyan Cat was sold for 300 ETH (approximately $590,000 at the time). This auction essentially pioneered the concept of Meme NFT as an asset class, sparking many other well-known meme creators to follow suit by turning their works into NFTs for auction.

6. Disaster Girl: $430,000

On April 17, 2021, the original photo of the famous "Disaster Girl" meme was sold as an NFT for 180 ETH (approximately $430,000). The photo features a young girl with a mischievous grin in front of a burning building, becoming a classic meme to express "schadenfreude."

7. Overly Attached Girlfriend: $411,000

In the spring of 2021, the "Overly Attached Girlfriend" meme NFT was sold for 200 ETH (approximately $411,000). This meme originated from a screenshot of a video from 2012 and has become one of the most widely circulated meme images on the internet.

The transactions of these high-priced Meme NFTs reflect the encryption world's emphasis on internet culture and provide meme creators with a new way to monetize their work. As the NFT market develops, we may see more interesting meme works entering the blockchain world, becoming the new favorites of digital art collectors.