A meme coin based on a viral pygmy hippo from Thailand, Moo Deng (MOODENG), saw its price surge up to 42% as Solana traders seek to capitalize on the animal’s astonishing popularity.
The Solana token was first launched on meme coin platform Pump.fun on Sept. 10, and has since become as popular as its adorable meme counterpart for Solana traders.
According to data from the crypto price tracking website CoinGecko, on Sept. 26 MOODENG (MOODENG) has risen to $0.1198, up 42.7% in the past day.
In the past 24 hours, Moo Deng’s market cap has soared from $71 million to $120 million.
On-chain analytics firm Lookonchain posted on X about a trader who struck gold with the hippo token when he traded in his 9.8 Solana tokens for 38.7 million Moo Deng tokens. Since buying Moo Deng, the trader managed to gain 2554-fold in profits.
At the time of writing, Moo Deng currently stands as the top Pump.fun meme coin on Gecko Terminal‘s rankings, beating out top contenders like BILLY, SCF, and DADDY.
The token seemingly reflects Moo Deng’s popularity in the real world which shows no signs of slowing down. Moo Deng’s home, Khao Kheow Open Zoo, has announced plans to launch a 24-hour livestream of the pygmy hippo responding to overwhelming public demand.
Moo Deng, whose name means “bouncy pork” in Thai, is a two-month old pygmy hippo from Chonburi, Thailand. She won the hearts of millions of internet users with her chubby cheeks and always-wet appearance.
Social media posts of the baby hippopotamus have gained views running into millions easily, confirming her status as an internet celebrity. Moo Deng has been the subject of countless memes that have been distributed across the internet.
In an interview with the Bangkok Post, zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy said that Khao Kheow Open Zoo has seen an increase in visitors of up to 50% thanks to the adorable mammal. He predicted that the zoo would earn more than $6.13 million by the end of the year.