Ahead of the auction, the seller of the copy of the 2007 viral video said the original would leave YouTube so it could be "memorialized" on the blockchain. Now, the buyer wants the clip to stay up.
Harambe NFT Celebrates Iconic Gorilla on 5th Anniversary of His Death
Share
Harambe NFT Celebrates Iconic Gorilla on 5th Anniversary of His Death
An iconic photo of Harambe will be sold as an NFT as fans remember the meme-inspiring gorilla on the fifth anniversary of his death.
It s now been five years since the world lost Harambe, and a popular photo of the internet-famous gorilla will be sold as an NFT in his honor. On one unfortunate day at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016, a three-year-old boy climbed into the gorilla s enclosure. In an incident recorded on video, the animal was shot dead by zoo officials concerned for the child s safety. The death of the primate, who had just celebrated his 17th birthday the day prior, made national news and instantly turned Harambe into an internet phenomenon.
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.”
As the iconic ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ viral video is sold as an NFT for US$760,999, we look at the memes that have made headlines as an emerging crypto-art subculture