The popular hippo MEME coin MOODENG skyrocketed by over ten thousand times, driving the market to see a zoo-like trend again

Author: Nancy, PANews

With its round body, cute yet awkward appearance, unique name, and exaggerated expressions, Moo Deng (Bouncing Pig), a little pygmy hippopotamus from Thailand, has gone viral overnight, quickly becoming a meme-generating machine. Under the unstoppable charm of the "Bouncing Pig," this newly minted international internet celebrity is driving the "hippo economy" to flourish, while crypto investors are also getting creative in their gold rush, even reviving zoo-related trends and significantly boosting the MEME economy.

Recently, at the Khao Kheow Zoo in Chonburi Province, Thailand, a two-month-old pygmy hippo has gained worldwide attention due to its amusing interactions with its caretakers. This little Cancer zodiac hippo is quite "rebellious," often wanting to "eat" its caretaker, getting startled by water jets, and struggling during bath time to avoid falling… These meme-worthy expressions have made Moo Deng a popular subject for meme creation, even appearing in Time Magazine and being featured in memes by Twitter and Walmart.

The viral Bouncing Pig is also a cash cow. According to the Bangkok Post, the Bouncing Pig has attracted a large number of visitors, bringing in 12 million Thai Baht (approximately $360,000) in revenue for the Thai zoo in the first three weeks of September, drawing over 80,000 visitors. Due to the overwhelming number of visitors, the zoo has implemented time-limited viewing measures and has opened a 24-hour live stream online. Furthermore, the zoo is applying for copyright and trademark for "Moo Deng Hippo" and is selling Bouncing Pig merchandise to raise funds for improving the living conditions of the animals.

This hippo craze has also swept the crypto world, with various MEMEs named after it circulating widely. Among them, Moo Den (MOODENG) on Solana is undoubtedly the most popular, having become the largest MEME coin by market capitalization in the Pump.fun ecosystem.

According to DEX Screener data, MOODENG has increased over 28,000 times in value within just over half a month since its creation, currently surpassing a market cap of $200 million, making it the seventh largest MEME on Solana.

With strong market performance, there are high earners, but also many investors who missed out or sold too early. According to Lookonchain monitoring, an address starting with 5FGcB spent 9.8 SOL (approximately $1,331) on 38.7 million MOODENG on September 10, and has since sold over 30 million, still holding MOODENG worth $1.33 million; Arkham monitoring shows that a trader invested $800 to purchase MOODENG four hours after its launch, and now holds a position worth over $5.4 million, without selling yet. However, Lookonchain also noted that another address spent 1.5 SOL (approximately $203.5) to buy 19.4 million MOODENG and then sold it for 7.64 SOL (approximately $1,039), making a profit of $835 (4 times return). If that address had held on until now, the profit would have reached $2.65 million—over 13,000 times return.

Stimulated by MOODENG, some investors have begun to closely monitor narratives around internet-famous animals on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, including penguins (PESTO), frogs (omochi), capybaras (CAPY), pandas (HUAHUA), and otters (DEGEN), which are gaining market attention. The surge in interest for these animal trends has significantly increased on-chain trading volume, especially on Solana.

For example, according to DEX Screener data, the trading volume on Solana exceeded $960 million in the past 24 hours. Among the top 10 trading volume contributors, about $170 million came from these projects, accounting for 17.8% of the overall market. Half of these projects are animal MEMEs, with a combined trading volume exceeding $130 million. This indicates that animal MEMEs are a major driving force behind Solana's trading volume.

Ultimately, the prosperity of the internet-famous animal economy is not only due to the viral traffic effect of popular internet memes but also because these animals are becoming cultural symbols, serving as outlets for emotional expression among young people. Particularly, animals with distinct personalities and emotional resonance are more likely to gain "followers," which is a significant reason why consumers are willing to pay for animal IPs like Moo Deng. However, this pop culture is always evolving, and the underlying rise logic is worth investors' attention.