The viral YouTube video
Charlie Bit Mesold on May 23 as a non-fungible token (NFT) for about $761,000, with the creators offering to remove the original clip from the video platform forever.
But the internet needs not fear.
Charlie Bit Me will remain on YouTube, says Howard Davies-Carr, the father of the now-famous children featured in the video. The video has racked up 884 million views since it was first uploaded in 2007.
“After the auction we connected with the buyer, who ended up deciding to keep the video on YouTube,” Davies-Carr told Quartz. “The buyer felt that the video is an important part of popular culture and shouldn’t be taken down. It will now live on YouTube for the masses to continue enjoying as well as memorialized as an NFT on the blockchain.”