Internet Memes Transform into Digital Assets: A Review of Seven High-Value Meme NFTs

Recently, a photo of a Shiba Inu wearing a knitted hat was sold for a high price of $4.3 million, setting a new record for Meme NFT. This Shiba Inu, named Achi, comes from the widely circulated "Dogwifhat" internet memes, and its astonishing NFT price reflects the deep integration of internet culture and the crypto world.

In recent years, many classic internet memes have realized value monetization through the form of NFTs. Let's take a look back at the seven 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 USD). This high price is largely attributed to the continued popularity of the original Dogwifhat internet memes and the explosive growth of its derivative Solana chain token WIF. The market capitalization of WIF once exceeded 3 billion USD, demonstrating the significant influence of meme culture in the crypto world.

According to reports, this NFT photo was randomly taken by Achi's Korean owner in 2018. After expenses, the seller will receive approximately $4.1 million in profit, far exceeding expectations. Well-known cryptocurrency trader GCR purchased this photo through a digital art platform.

2. Doge: 4.2 million USD

Before Dogwifhat broke the record, "dog" Doge had long occupied the top of the Meme NFT price list. In June 2021, the original photo of the Shiba Inu Kabosu was sold for 1696.9 ETH (approximately $4.234 million). Doge is not only an important part of internet culture but also inspired the birth of the first meme coin in the crypto world, Dogecoin.

The buyer stated: "Doge may be one of the most influential internet memes in internet culture." Subsequently, this NFT was split into billions of tokens, creating immense market value.

3. Pepe the Frog: 3.5 million dollars

In October 2021, the original Pepe the Frog NFT created by Matt Furie was sold for 1000 ETH (approximately 3.5 million USD). This green frog is not only widely circulated on the internet but also closely connected to crypto culture, and last year it even spawned the relatively successful meme coin Pepecoin on Ethereum.

The NFT represents the first multi-panel comic of Pepe drawn by Furie in November 2006. The purchaser is an NFT fund formed by a certain crypto hedge fund and anonymous investors.

4. Charlie Bit My Finger: $761,000

In May 2021, the NFT version of the early viral YouTube video "Charlie Bit My Finger" sold for $761,000. The parents of the two boys in the video hoped to raise college funds for their children through the NFT. This strategy was quite successful and was ultimately purchased at a high price by a collector in Dubai.

5. Nyan Cat: $590,000

In February 2021, the NFT version of the pixel animation Nyan Cat was sold for 300 ETH (approximately $590,000). This auction pioneered the transformation of classic internet memes into digital assets, and many other well-known internet memes creators followed suit.

Creator Chris Torres said: "This has become a trend, not just for me, but for many internet memes artists who started creating since then. Before that, everyone's situation was not very ideal."

6. Disaster Girl: $430,000

In April 2021, the original photo NFT of "Disaster Girl" was sold for 180 ETH (approximately $430,000). The photo was taken during Zoe Roth's childhood, where she is smirking in front of a burning building, which later became a classic image on the internet expressing "schadenfreude."

7. Overly Attached Girlfriend: $411,000

In the spring of 2021, Laina Morris created an NFT from her 2012 viral "Overly Attached Girlfriend" internet meme photo and sold it for 200 ETH (approximately $411,000).

The successful sale of these high-priced Meme NFTs reflects the deep integration of internet culture and blockchain technology, and provides a new way for classic internet memes creators to realize value. With the development of the crypto market, we may see more internet cultural symbols reborn in the form of NFTs.