On November 27, Binance announced that it would list contract trading pairs for MORPHO and CHILLGUY. The CHILLGUY token is a meme figure that has gone viral among Gen Z, released on the Solana chain on October 6. The CHILL GUY meme has been retweeted by figures such as the president of El Salvador and Musk, indirectly increasing the token's price volatility. However, the original creator feels quite displeased about their creation being used to launch a meme coin.
TikTok's viral spread, the Gen Z lying flat trend boosts the topic of Chill Guy.
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. Its actions are reminiscent of the lyrics of Jay Chou: hands in pockets, and it always has a calm smile on its face, as if completely indifferent to the people and things around it.
Chill Guy quickly became popular online, especially on TikTok and Instagram, which are primarily used by Gen Z, where it has been widely shared. Young people love this character that always maintains a chill attitude. Just like this one: 'Biology (midterm) flunked, I don’t care, because I’m just a chill guy.' Searching the keyword Chill Guy in places like Threads where young people gather reveals more related creations.
Or perhaps the rise of this character is closely related to the sense of helplessness demonstrated by the younger generation in facing society. Just like the 'Goblin Mode' that represented the lying flat mode in the Oxford Dictionary for 2022, in Taiwan, goblins are also one of the keywords for the younger crowd. Many people compare themselves—who are short, poor, and not particularly attractive—to goblins; those under 170 cm are considered goblins, while those over 180 cm are trolls.
This sense of helplessness is also closely related to the financial nihilism mentioned in Binance's previous research report. Various signs point to the fact that young people have given up on trying, and just surviving is already enough of a struggle.
Even without official licensing, the Chill Guy meme coin has opened new pathways on Binance.
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.
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 threatened to take legal action in response to the infringement.
However, in the end, Chill Guy still made it to Binance's contract trading pairs, which is actually unexpected and has deeper significance. Both the Jikawaii meme coin and the Vatican's mascot LUCE have been criticized for lacking official licensing, causing major exchanges to be reluctant to take risks. Yet, the listing of Chill Guy has opened a new window for these unlicensed tokens. Perhaps we can continue to observe the collision between copyright and meme coins concerning the interests of exchanges.
[Disclaimer] The market has risks, and investment requires caution. This article does not constitute investment advice. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article align with their specific circumstances. Invest at your own risk.
This article is authorized for reposting from: (Chain News)
'What is the CHILLGUY meme coin? It became popular on Binance but has a tumultuous fate, paving the way for LUCE.' This article was first published in 'Crypto City.'