Nietzsche Penguin Surges 6000x in a Week, Is Solana Meme Coin Reclaiming Its Glory?
- Core Viewpoint: The listing of Solana ecosystem Meme coin $PENGUIN on Binance Alpha, driven by its fusion of internet culture, individual consciousness awakening, and U.S. political narratives, is seen by the market as a significant signal for a potential recovery of the Solana Meme coin sector.
- Key Factors:
- This marks Binance Alpha's first "pure" listing of a Solana Meme coin in over a year (since Fartcoin in December 2024), breaking a nearly one-year hiatus.
- The narrative of $PENGUIN originates from a classic internet meme about a "nihilistic penguin," reflecting the contemporary zeitgeist of escaping mundanity and pursuing self-awareness.
- The official White House X account posted two tweets related to this meme, linking it to Trump's "crazy" political proposition of seeking to purchase Greenland, injecting strong political narrative and controversy into the meme.
- The token's market cap surpassed $100 million within 10 days of deployment, echoing the explosive market momentum seen during the previous Solana Meme coin frenzy.
- This listing is interpreted by some market participants as Binance reopening its doors to Solana Meme coins, potentially indicating a resurgence of activity in this sector.
How long has it been since Binance Alpha listed a Solana meme coin? The last Solana meme coin listed on Binance Alpha was JELLYJELLY ($JELLY), on February 26, 2025. It's been nearly a year.
The reason $JELLY got listed wasn't "pure"; it was related to an incident with Hyperliquid. If we set stricter criteria and exclude AI meme coins like Zerebro and elizaOS that can "do work," then the last pure Solana meme coin listed on Binance Alpha without other influencing factors was Fartcoin, on December 18, 2024.
We have finally waited for another Solana meme coin to be listed on Binance Alpha — $PENGUIN (Nietzschean Penguin).
The token's story originates from a viral clip in the 2007 documentary "Encounters at the End of the World" by German director Werner Herzog. In that clip, a penguin turns away from its colony and heads inland, towards the distant mountains, away from the sea—the source of food and life.
It ventures alone into the vast, frozen interior, marching towards the distant ice mountains, with the sea a staggering 5,000 kilometers away. Everyone knows this means hunger and cold, exhaustion and certain death.
By the mid-2010s, this video became widely known for its "nihilistic" interpretation. In late August 2015, YouTube user Seppe uploaded this clip to YouTube titled "Nihilistic Penguin." This version quickly went viral and has garnered nearly 2 million views to date.
This old meme has been gaining renewed vitality on TikTok and Instagram since this year. Just as the meme's name "Nietzschean Penguin/Nihilistic Penguin" suggests, the viral videos and memes often feature the keyword "But Why." People around the world use this meme to question themselves—but why is my life like this?
Society tells us we should get a good job, get married, have children, and think less about meaningless or impractical things. But isn't the meaning of life precisely about exploring that meaning through the ways we choose? They ask us why, but there is no why—that's just what we want to do. Living authentically, unconcerned with世俗的眼光, is to transcend oneself.
Following the meme's original trajectory, $PENGUIN would be similar to $NEET, reflecting the contemporary desire to escape the世俗 "system," pursue freedom, self-exploration, and awaken self-awareness. However, the White House's use of this meme has added a new layer of meaning, transforming it from a social media trend/consciousness-awakening meme coin into a political one.
At 6 AM yesterday, the White House X account posted a tweet saying, "Embrace the penguin," accompanied by an image of the "Nietzschean Penguin" holding an American flag, walking alongside Trump towards the distant ice mountains.
At 10:30 PM the same day, the White House X account quoted the tweet again, adding, "The penguin never cared what those who didn't understand it thought."
These two tweets coincided with Trump once again publicly expressing interest in acquiring Greenland. Trump first proposed this idea back in 2019, and after the tumultuous journey of losing and regaining power, he still hasn't given up on his desire for Greenland.
This desire, in the eyes of most, is yet another疯狂痴心妄想. The White House's use of the meme amplifies the personal angle of exploring life's meaning, emphasizing Trump's disregard for ridicule and现实阻力, portraying him as daring to think, daring to act, and marching forward resolutely. It packages Trump's "madness" as a kind of heroic, America-first pursuit.
The accompanying image above sparked widespread mockery. Netizens pointed out that there are no penguins in the Arctic, a常识性的错误 akin to Trump suggesting injecting disinfectant to kill the virus during the pandemic. Interestingly, many netizens also elevated the image further, linking Trump's proposal to buy Greenland with the 1867 U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia. They see it as part of America's "Manifest Destiny"—the unique mission to expand influence, spread its system, or acquire resources.
And no penguins in the Arctic? No problem. Trump wants it, Trump gets it. This is interpreted as Trump-style humor, conveying a "reality doesn't matter, willpower does" spirit of human triumph over nature.
By this point, we can understand why the crypto community places expectations on $PENGUIN similar to those on $PNUT. These expectations also resonate with the reality of Solana meme coins—after that glorious meme season, it's been too long since we've seen a meme coin突破 1 亿美元市值 within 10 days of deployment.
Binance Alpha listing a Solana meme coin again after over a year, this time "purely," has also energized the crypto community. It's seen as Binance once again opening its arms to Solana meme coins and the beginning of Solana meme coins reclaiming their glory.
This time, we dare to dream. Will we truly get it?
