Author: Nancy, PANews

With its round body, cute appearance, unique name, and exaggerated expressions, Moo Deng, the little dwarf hippo from Thailand, has become an overnight sensation worldwide, quickly becoming a meme generator. Under the unstoppable charm of the 'bouncing pig,' the 'hippo economy' has flourished, attracting encryption investors to engage in creative mining and even reviving the zoo market, leading to a significant rebound in the MEME economy.

Recently, a two-month-old pygmy hippopotamus at Khao Kheow Zoo in Chonburi Province, Thailand, has gained worldwide attention for its playful interaction with the caretakers. This rebellious little hippo, born under the sign of Cancer, is often seen 'biting' the caretakers, getting scared and losing control when sprayed with water, struggling during baths and almost falling over... These memes-worthy expressions have made Moo Deng an internet sensation, with people creating their own versions of the funny pictures. It even appeared in Time magazine, and memes related to the bouncing pig were also posted on Twitter and Walmart.

The popular Bouncing Pig is also a big money maker. According to the Bangkok Post, the Bouncing Pig has attracted a large number of visitors, bringing in 12 million baht (about $360,000) in revenue for the Thai zoo in the first three weeks of September and attracting over 80,000 visitors. Due to the large number of visitors, the zoo has also implemented a limited viewing policy, as well as opening 24-hour live streaming online. Furthermore, the zoo is also applying for the copyright and trademark of 'Moo Deng Hippo' and taking the opportunity to sell Bouncing Pig merch products to raise funds to improve the living conditions of the animals.

The hippo fever has also swept the crypto circle, and various MEME of the same name are flying all over the place. Among them, Moo Den (MOODENG) on Solana is undoubtedly the most popular, and the Token has become the largest MEME coin in the Market Cap of Pump.fun ecosystem.

According to DEX Screener data, MOODENG has increased by over 28,000 times in just over half a month, and its Market Cap has surpassed $200 million, making it the seventh largest MEME in Solana Market Cap.

Under the strong market performance, there are high-yield investors, as well as many who miss out and sell their investments. According to Lookonchain, an address starting with 5FGcB spent 9.8 SOL (approximately $1,331) on September 10 to purchase 38.7 million MOODENG, and has sold over 30 million MOODENG, still holding MOODENG worth $1.33 million; according to Arkham, a trader invested $800 to purchase MOODENG four hours after its launch, currently holding a position worth over $5.4 million and has not sold yet. However, Lookonchain also observed that another address spent 1.5 SOL (approximately $203.5) to purchase 19.4 million MOODENG and sold them at a price of 7.64 SOL (approximately $1,039), making a profit of $835 (a return of 4 times). If the address continues to hold, the profit would reach $2.65 million—a return of over 13,000 times.

Under the stimulation of MOODENG, some investors have started to closely follow the hype of internet-famous animals on platforms such as TikTok and Youtube, including Penguin (PESTO), Frog (omochi), Capybara (CAPY), XMC (HUAHUA), and Otter (DEGEN), which are being followed by the market. As a result of this animal market stimulation, the on-chain volume has increased significantly, especially for Solana.

Taking the data on DEX Screener as an example, the volume on Solana has reached over 9.6 billion US dollars in the past 24 hours. Among them, the top 10 contributors to the volume accounted for approximately 170 million US dollars, or 17.8% of the overall market. Half of these projects come from MEME, with their combined volume exceeding 1.3 billion US dollars. This also means that animal-themed MEME is the main driving force behind Solana's volume.

At the end of the day, the reason why the economy of internet-famous animals thrives is not only the viral traffic effect of popular internet memes, but also because these animals are becoming a kind of spiritual and cultural symbol. They are a medium for young people to express their emotions, especially those animals with distinctive personalities and emotional resonance, which makes them more likely to gain 'followers.' This is also why consumers are willing to pay for animal IPs like Moo Deng. However, this popular culture is always changing, and the underlying rise logic is more worthy of investors' follow.