On November 27, Binance announced the listing of contract trading pairs for MORPHO and CHILLGUY. The CHILLGUY token is a meme character that has gone viral among Gen Z, issued on the Solana chain on October 6. The CHILL GUY meme has been retweeted by President Nayib Bukele and Musk, among others, indirectly increasing the price volatility of the token. However, the original creator is quite unhappy about his creation being used to issue meme coins.
Viral dissemination on Douyin, the Gen Z laid-back trend boosts the Chill Guy topic.
It is understood that Chill Guy was created by American artist Phillip Banks and first appeared on October 4, 2023. The character is generally depicted as a personified dog wearing a gray sweater, blue jeans, and red sneakers. The actions resemble the lyrics of Zhang Zhenyue's song: hands in pockets, and always wearing a calm smile on his face, as if completely indifferent to the people and things around him.
Chill Guy quickly became popular online, especially on TikTok and Instagram, which are primarily used by Gen Z, where it was widely shared. Young people love this character that always maintains a chill attitude. Just like this one: 'The biology (midterm) blew up, I don’t care, because I’m just a chill guy.' Searching for the keyword Chill Guy in places where young people gather, like Threads, can reveal more related creations.
Perhaps the popularity of this character is closely related to the sense of helplessness that young people feel towards society. Just like the Oxford Dictionary's representative word for 2022, Goblin Mode, which represents a laid-back attitude, in Taiwan, goblin is also one of the keywords for young people. Many people metaphorically refer to themselves as goblins, being short and poor, and not outstanding in appearance; those below 170 cm are considered gnomes, while those above 180 cm are seen as trolls.
This sense of helplessness is also closely related to the financial nihilism mentioned in previous Binance research reports, indicating that young people have given up on striving and that merely being alive is already a struggle.
(2022 Oxford Dictionary representative word: Goblin mode (laid-back mode) surpasses Metaverse to win selection)
(Meme coins have become a contemporary trend! Binance research analysis: Financial nihilism attracts young people, with 97% of trading volume going to zero)
Unauthorized listings can still make it to Binance; Chill Guy paves a new path for meme coins.
The Bitcoin President we are familiar with, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, also retweeted a post about the Chill Guy meme. Elon Musk and Azuki founder Zagabond also mentioned the Chill Guy meme on Twitter one after another.
However, the original creator Phillip Banks stated on Twitter that he does not approve of his creation being used for anything related to cryptocurrency, especially worthless shitcoins. He has threatened to take legal action to address the infringement.
But in the end, Chill Guy was still listed on Binance's contract trading pairs, which is actually unexpected and has deeper significance. Whether it is the Jiikawa meme coin or the Vatican's mascot LUCE, they have been criticized for being unauthorized. Major exchanges are hesitant to take the risk of listing coins. However, Chill Guy's listing opens a new window for these unauthorized tokens, and perhaps we can continue to observe the collision of copyright and meme coins in relation to the interests of exchanges.
(What you should know about meme coins: A three-step guide to buying the Jiikawa meme coin CHIIKAWA)
This article discusses who Chill Guy listed on Binance is? The viral meme coin among Gen Z seems to have a destiny filled with twists, and one characteristic may open the door for LUCE, first appearing in Chain News ABMedia.