Nyan Cat NFT saw 2011’s viral pop-tart cat GIF sell as NFT for $590,000 (February 2021), proving meme creators could monetize decade-old internet culture and sparking NFT gold rush before 99% crash.
The Original Meme
April 2011: Chris Torres created Nyan Cat—GIF of pixel cat with pop-tart body flying through space trailing rainbow, set to repetitive Japanese song “Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!”
The GIF became viral sensation:
- 189M+ YouTube views
- Endless remixes
- Games, merchandise
- Internet culture icon
But Torres made little money from original virality.
The NFT Sale
February 19, 2021: Torres minted Nyan Cat as NFT (non-fungible token) on Foundation platform.
Sale: $590,000 (300 ETH at time)
The sale shocked internet:
- 10-year-old meme worth $600K?
- JPEG sold for price of house?
- Creator finally monetizing work?
It was peak NFT mania moment.
The Timing
Nyan Cat sale hit perfect moment:
- NFT hype peak: Early 2021 explosion
- Crypto bull market: ETH at highs
- Nostalgia: 2011 meme had 10-year anniversary
- Creator empowerment: “Artists deserve pay” narrative
Everything aligned for maximum sale.
The Creator Justice
Torres’s perspective:
- Created viral phenomenon
- Made little from original
- Others profited (merchandise, YouTube channels)
- NFT allowed direct monetization
- Finally paid for decade-old work
The narrative was compelling.
The NFT Gold Rush
Nyan Cat success sparked wave:
- Disaster Girl: $500K
- Bad Luck Brian: $36K
- Doge meme: $4M
- Charlie Bit My Finger: $760K
- Overly Attached Girlfriend: $411K
Every meme creator rushed to NFT market.
The Buyer
The buyer (anonymous wallet) got:
- NFT “ownership” (not copyright)
- Bragging rights
- Speculative asset
- Place in internet history
What they didn’t get: Ability to stop others using Nyan Cat.
The Copyright Confusion
NFT didn’t grant:
- Copyright ownership
- Exclusive use rights
- Ability to stop Nyan Cat sharing
- Commercial rights (usually)
Many buyers didn’t understand this.
The Backlash
Critics argued:
- NFTs are scam (correct, mostly)
- Environmental damage (ETH pre-merge)
- Greater fool theory
- Artificial scarcity of infinite copies
- Money laundering vehicle
The concerns were valid but ignored during mania.
The Follow-Up Sales
Torres continued:
- More Nyan Cat NFT variations
- Limited editions
- Collaborations
But none matched original $590K sale.
The Market Crash
2022: NFT market crashed 90%+
- Peak hype → ghost town
- Celebrity NFTs worthless
- “Right-click save” mockery
- Environmental concerns grew
The Nyan Cat NFT buyer likely lost significant value.
The Creator Economy Lesson
Nyan Cat NFT showed:
- Creators can retroactively monetize
- Viral fame ≠ financial success (historically)
- NFTs provided (temporary) mechanism
- Nostalgia valuable
- Timing everything
But also: Market unsustainable.
The Internet Reaction
Support: “Creator deserves payment for decade-old work”
Mockery: “Someone paid $600K for JPEG I can screenshot”
Confusion: “What does NFT buyer own exactly?”
Envy: Other meme creators wanted their NFT payday
The discourse was polarized.
The Legacy
By 2023, Nyan Cat NFT represented:
- NFT mania’s peak moment
- Brief window creators monetized old work
- Speculative bubble example
- Confusion about digital ownership
Torres got paid. Buyer got… NFT worth fraction of purchase price.
The Lesson
Nyan Cat NFT taught:
- First-mover advantage in trends
- Nostalgia monetization possible
- Bubbles burst fast
- Creator empowerment narratives ≠ sustainable markets
- Internet culture has value (to someone, briefly)
The $590,000 sale was historic—proving meme creators could finally profit. The timing was fortunate—months later, NFT market collapsed.
Chris Torres got paid for Nyan Cat. The buyer got ownership of nothing and everything simultaneously—the perfect NFT metaphor.
Source: Foundation NFT sale records, Torres interviews, NFT market data