Memes may come and go but Doge has proven timeless, surpassing the likes of Charlie Bit My Finger and “Disaster Girl” at auction as the original image sells for a monumental $4 million.
Atsuko Sato, owner of the famous Shiba Inu, has joined the increasing number of people reaping the benefits of their viral creations by selling them in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT) – a digital ownership certificate.
NFTs allow original versions of popular online content to be sold as if they were physical pieces of art.
The original Doge meme was auctioned on Friday, on the site Zora, with a winning bid of 1,696.9 of the cryptocurrency Ethereum ($4 million USD).
A significant portion of the earnings will be donated across various English and Japanese charities including Plan International, the Japanese Red Cross, World Food Program, Ashi Naga, and Japan Heart.
“As Kabosu became a meme people love so much, I came to believe that Kabosu was given a special mission by the universe,” said Sato, a Japanese pre-school teacher.
Through the launch of these NFTs, I’d like to help children in need all over the world. Kabosu and I would be very happy if we could help bring a smile to their face.
The iconic image of Kabosu with her legs crossed daintily and a slightly awkward but friendly side-eye expression was actually one of many uploaded to Sato’s personal blog.
I take a lot of pictures every day, so that day was nothing out of the ordinary. Kabosu loves having her photo taken, so she was delighted to have the camera pointed towards her.
When I first found out about the Kabosu memes, I was very surprised. I was terrified at the thought that just one photo I had casually posted on my blog could spread all over the world to places I didn’t know.
Doge was named the No.1 meme of the decade for the 2010s by Know Your Meme, having remained relevant to internet culture throughout its existence.
Know Your Meme’s editor-in-chief Don Caldwell commented: “If any meme deserved to be the new meme NFT record holder, it’s Doge.”
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