An NFT (non-fungible token) of “Doge,” the Shiba Inu image that’s been one of the internet’s most famous memes, made history after it sold for more than $4 million, making it the most expensive meme NFT of all time. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the NFT will go toward several charities, including the Japanese Red Cross Society and the World Food Programme.
A bidder named @pleasrdao claimed the NFT with a final bid of 1,696.9 Ethereum, a cryptocurrency worth approximately $4 million, according to the Doge auction site.
“We’re so happy to be a part of this milestone in internet history. If any meme deserved to be the new meme NFT record holder, it’s Doge,” said Don Caldwell, editor-in-chief of the internet meme database Know Your Meme, which certified Doge ahead of the auction to ensure that the meme was being sold by its rightful owner.
The Doge meme which is one of the most iconic memes in internet history, had previously won Know Your Meme’s ‘Meme of the Decade’ award in December 2019.
The meme was offered by Atsuko Sato, the owner of Kabosu, the dog from the image. The auction ran for three days before being sold to @pleasrdao. @pleasrdao had a bidding war against @twodollahotdoge for the meme at the auction at Zora which raised the price of the meme.
Doge’s popularity has had a recent resurgence due to Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency branded after the meme. Although Dogecoin has been around for several years, it spiked in popularity after Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed it on social media this year.
Other memes that rival Doge include “Disaster Girl,” which sold for 180 of Ethereum, worth roughly $430,000 at the time of sale, and “Overly Attached Girlfriend,” which sold for 200 Ethereum, worth roughly $482,000 at the time, according to the auction site Foundation. An NFT of “Pepe the Frog” sold for roughly $1 million, according to The Washington Post.