Recapping 69 Absurd Moments in the Crypto World in 2024
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Recapping 69 Absurd Moments in the Crypto World in 2024
In memory of this year's absurdity and glory.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: Ryan S. Gladwin
Translation: TechFlow
Crypto reached new heights of absurdity in 2024. This year’s meme supercycle birthed countless bizarre characters, setting fresh lows for the industry. Meanwhile, crypto conferences became weekly cringes, and politicians groveled before the crypto crowd—either for votes or funding.
This year, we’ve etched numerous “dumb moments” into the immutable blockchain of life. From meme developers self-immolating to promote their projects (see #6 below), to “FARTCOIN” surpassing a $1 billion market cap (not ranked, but Stephen Colbert already mentioned it), these ridiculous episodes are ones we can proudly recount to our grandchildren—after all, they might enjoy the generational wealth we’re creating in 2024 and beyond.
To honor this year’s blend of farce and glory, we’ve compiled a list of 69 unranked dumbest moments from 2024.
1. Meme Livestreams: So Ridiculous
LIVEMOM may be peak degeneracy in crypto. Image source: Kick Livestream
A woman claiming to be a mother participated in a livestream with her “son,” shaking her breasts to beg viewers to invest in his meme coin.
“Want to see him pour milk on these 36DDs?” she asked, adding—if that weren’t wild enough—that her son “used to suck on them, now he’s pouring milk on them.”
2. Getting Even More Shameless
The LIVEMOM craze sparked a wave of live stunts, with meme developers resorting to increasingly absurd performances to pump their tokens—some even calling it “performance art.”
Some tied their hands behind their backs to prove they wouldn’t dump; others claimed they had no hands, only to suddenly reveal both and sell off everything; one even claimed he’d kidnapped someone.
One developer created a token called $Hands and held up a sign during a livestream saying, “I have no hands, so I can’t rug.” But when the price peaked, he revealed both hands and dumped his entire position like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.—@Hirizzy, May 6, 2024.
3. Stephen Mollah Claims He's "Satoshi"
Since Bitcoin’s whitepaper dropped in 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto’s true identity has remained a mystery. In October this year, a man named Stephen Mollah stepped forward claiming to be that very person.
Mollah, a British-Asian macroeconomist, said he’d long wanted to reveal himself but was always stopped. At an event costing £500 per ticket, he not only declared himself the creator of Bitcoin but also claimed he designed Twitter’s logo, developed ChatGPT, and invented a debt instrument called Eurobond.
During the talk, Mollah spoke for over an hour before saying he would “soon” move Bitcoin from the Genesis block—but needed time to prepare. (To date, this hasn’t happened.) Scrolling through his Twitter account, we found he posted a thread back in 2018 accusing others of being Faketoshis (imposters) and included some strange images.
4. See Cat? Pet It. Oh, Not That Cat…
Solana meme platform Pump.fun is known for its surreal crypto events. One such incident involved speculators trading a token called Keith the Invisible Cat—a cat that was literally just a photo of an empty room. And yes, the name is intentionally misspelled as “Kieth.”
5. The Accidental Rise of Slerf
Image source: Slerfsol on Twitter
A developer accidentally burned $10 million worth of tokens meant to fund the presale of a new Solana meme coin called Slerf. Yet this blunder propelled Slerf’s market cap to $700 million.
“Solana meme coin Slerf racks up $2 billion in volume despite dev burning presale funds.” — NewsCoins, Reza Jafery, March 19, 2024
6. Florida Developer Sets Himself on Fire to Pump His Token
A Florida-based meme coin developer set himself on fire to boost his token’s value. The stunt worked—the token surged 2,000% within hours, hitting a $2 million market cap. However, he was hospitalized with third-degree burns and unable to sell. After recovering, he discovered he could no longer use his hands properly, and even facial recognition on his phone failed.
Months later, he announced he was stepping away from the project, claiming he’d been used. His biggest regret? Not selling in time.
“Solana dev hospitalized with burns after attempting to pump meme coin.” — NewsCoins, Ryan S. Gladwin, May 23, 2024
7. Does This Tattoo Make Me Look Fat?
Image source: Twitter @Hop_Duneski
A Gigachad investor tattooed the contract address of a Solana meme coin onto his chest—in permanent ink—but got the address wrong.
“Man gets meme coin address tattooed—but there’s a typo.” — NewsCoins, Ryan S. Gladwin, July 21, 2024
8. Does This Haircut Make My Head Look Big?
A crypto speculator began collecting one strand of his girlfriend’s hair daily, placing each strand on a styrofoam dummy head. The next day, budget airline Ryanair retweeted his post joking that he should fly to Turkey—renowned for hair transplants. The token then surged 470%, drawing more mainstream attention.
9. Embarrassing Crypto Reality TV
A viral video showcasing a “Solana Mansion” reality show spread across the internet this year—not for its brilliance, but for its cringe-worthy extravagance.
“Check out this helipad. If you don’t have one, you’re poor. Haha, quick tour!” says the influencer, flaunting what turned out to be an Airbnb rental.
10. Remilia King
Remember Joe Exotic from Tiger King? He suddenly joined a community called “Retardio” NFT and unexpectedly received a DeGod NFT. While nothing much came of it, it was undeniably hilarious.
11. The Downfall of Celebrity Memes
Caitlyn Jenner launched an Olympic medal-themed meme coin, sparking a celebrity meme coin trend. However, in the same week she launched a Solana token, she also released another on Ethereum supporting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Within months, both coins were worth less than $1 million in market cap.
12. Exploited Celebrity Tokens
Caitlyn Jenner claimed her JENNER project was exploited by developer Sahil Arora, known for orchestrating short-lived celebrity scams. This year, he scammed $380,000 through a presale for a fake Iggy Azalea token, despite Iggy herself denying any involvement.
13. Andrew Tate’s “World Tour” Farce
Remember Andrew Tate’s “heartwarming story”? In July, he was allowed to leave Romania while awaiting trial on charges including alleged human trafficking, rape, and running a criminal organization for sexual exploitation of women. (He denies all allegations.)
Upon news of his release, Tate immediately announced a “world tour” for his Solana token DADDY, aiming to beat Iggy Azalea’s MOTHER token. Though he claimed the tour would hit “Tokyo, Dubai, and Miami,” reality quickly intervened—he wasn’t even allowed to leave the EU.
Tate remains under trial and continues to deny all charges. The so-called “world tour” ultimately became a punchline.
14. Iggy’s Misunderstanding of Fees
We love Iggy Azalea, who earned our “SCENE” title this year for launching her token MOTHER and possibly being the only celebrity still fully backing her project months after launch. But her crypto journey hasn’t been smooth.
It started when Vitalik Buterin criticized her, prompting her to ask, “What did you do about ETH gas fees?” This ignited crypto Twitter, mocking her since those fees don’t go into Buterin’s personal wallet but support Ethereum’s ecosystem. Back then, perhaps Iggy didn’t grasp how crypto works. We believe she’s wiser and better informed now!
15. Crypto’s “Night of Excess”
At a party in Singapore, Iggy Azalea caused another stir—an event filled with strippers becoming one of the year’s most “depraved” scenes. Highlights include:
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Su Zhu, co-founder of bankrupt hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, throwing cash at dancing girls and indulging in lavish luxury.
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Sunny, community lead for DeGods, dropping a girl mid-air while dancing.
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A man showering a stripper in cash, getting overly intimate while friends cheered him on.
16. Ethereum’s “Musical Prodigy”
Crypto conferences are usually serious tech affairs, but at this year’s Token 2049 in Singapore, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin lit up the stage with a live performance.
He sang: “It’s math-based, no more double spend, it’s encrypted. A new form of wealth begins.”
“TOKEN2049 kicks off in Singapore today! Vitalik Buterin sings on stage—check the video!” — kukat ⭐️ (@kukat23), September 18, 2024
17. The “Insane” Token Scam
Insane Labz, a supplement company based in Arkansas, gained minor fame in MMA and Barstool Sports circles. But recently, it made headlines for a bizarre stunt. Allegedly, the company hired online trolls to impersonate well-known figures and hype its LABZ token.
These trolls posed as UFC president Dana White, MMA legend Nate Diaz, and social media star Hasbulla in Telegram groups, aggressively promoting LABZ. Initially, the scheme seemed effective—drawing significant attention—but ultimately collapsed.
“We just wanted to make a joke, but it went too far,” one impersonator told Decrypt.
The farce was equal parts hilarious and alarming for LABZ investors.
18. Temptation and Scams
This year saw a new pump-and-dump playbook emerge in crypto: attracting “nerdy” male investors, some women used livestreams and seductive imagery to inflate token prices before dumping and cashing out.
19. Drugs and Crypto Scams
For those combining blockchain with substance abuse, this was a high point. First came Meth’d Up Dev, who smoked meth live to promote his token. Then Crack Head Dev, whose tale was even wilder—he overdosed on fentanyl during a livestream, faked his death, and later reinvented himself as a far-right racist influencer on Twitter. Seems someone proved life really can have a second act.
Finally, Meth Girl emerged. Despite trying hard to gain attention, her Twitter account kept getting banned, limiting her reach.
20. The Curry Coin Fiasco
An entrepreneur launched the CURRY token to support a curry stand in Lahore, Pakistan. But Decrypt’s investigation found the vendor never received any proceeds. The livestream was eventually shut down, and CURRY’s price crashed 92% within hours.
21. The “Frog Coin” Mix-Up
Flog the Frog (FLOG), one of the most anticipated meme coins this year, attracted massive attention thanks to polished artwork and influencer endorsements. However, an internal communication error nearly doomed investors.
Flog the Frog (FLOG), one of the most hyped meme tokens this year, generated huge buzz at launch due to its sleek design and influencer backing. But the project almost collapsed due to an embarrassing internal miscommunication.
It started with a leaked team chat. Project manager Breezy messaged the group: “DUMP IT,” intending for the team to sell only a small portion. But when he saw the price drop 91% in one minute, he frantically asked: “Bro, you sold all of it?” Pyro, managing team funds, replied: “YES YOU SAID DUMP MY BRO.”
“You’re an idiot,” Breezy responded helplessly.
Despite heavy losses, the project survived. The team rebranded Flog as Fwog and successfully regained market favor, becoming one of the year’s most successful meme coins.
This episode showcased both the absurdity of crypto projects and the potential for recovery amid crisis.
22. The Tragic Tale of Squirrel Coin
PNUT is a meme coin based on social media star Peanut the Squirrel.
In November, the token hit a daily trading volume of $150 million, becoming one of the highest-market-cap meme coins. Sadly, it was later revealed the squirrel didn’t have rabies—it was killed unjustly. Hopefully, its token will carry on its legacy, and memories of it become a blessing.
23. The “Justice” Farce of Squirrel Coin
Less than a month after the global outcry over Peanut the dead (but not rabid) squirrel, the rodent’s owner joined the crypto frenzy. Clearly angry at “speculators” profiting from his personal tragedy, he decided to launch his own token. This came shortly after the “PNUT community” reportedly donated $50,000 to him.
“People want to profit from this? It’s disgusting!” the grieving owner ranted in a Twitter video. Yet, moments later, he launched a token called JUSTICE. Sadly, JUSTICE met an even colder fate than the deceased squirrel.
This episode highlights the absurdity of the crypto world and reminds us that justice isn’t always easy to achieve.
24. The Absurd Baptism of the “Holy Chicken Church”
This year, a new religion emerged, worshipping a raw chicken with a cigarette in its mouth and a fish head, dubbed “Lord Fishnu.” But that’s not even the weirdest part.
The “Church of the Smoking Chicken Fish” is built around a meme coin, and its followers’ “baptism” ritual is called “brothism.” Typically, this involves reading the so-called “10 chickemandments” aloud on Twitter Spaces. But one follower took a different approach: fully clothed, sitting in a bathtub, placing a raw chicken on his head while reciting the doctrines.
But the absurdity doesn’t end there—the church plans to open a physical location in Marfa, Texas.
This episode shows human creativity and absurdity, and how meme culture can break through digital walls into real life.
25. The Pastor’s “Betrayal”
Months later, church leader Pastor Kelby began using his religious influence to promote low-market-cap meme coins for payment. Eventually, he was expelled from the church, and the church project fell into chaos.
26. The Pastor’s “Divine Token” Scam
A pastor in Colorado is facing fraud charges. According to local law enforcement, he and his wife created a “illiquid and nearly worthless” crypto token, sold it to investors, and used the proceeds to fund their lavish lifestyle. The pastor admitted earning $1.3 million from the token trades but insisted it was all “God’s will.”
“God hasn’t finished this project yet; God hasn’t finished the INDX token,” he declared.
27. Scams in the Name of Faith
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sued the former pastor, accusing him of illegally obtaining over $5.9 million in cash and digital assets through a fake multi-level marketing scheme called the “Solanofi Platform.” The indictment claims the ex-pastor used a so-called “leveraged staking platform” to lure investors, promising monthly returns as high as 34.9%, targeting those “lacking investment experience.”
This case exposes the absurdity of mixing religion with crypto and shows how bad actors exploit dual trust—faith and finance—for personal gain.
28. “Social Experiment” Turns Into “Dump Experiment”
In August, CABAL meme coin developers claimed to run the “largest social experiment in history” on Solana, airdropping $10,000 worth of tokens to 10 crypto Twitter influencers hoping to spark market frenzy. But within days, most influencers dumped their holdings, causing the price to crash. Today, the market cap stands at under $15,000.
“I don’t get why they thoughtgiving people $10K wouldn’t lead to selling,” one influencer admitted. Notably, among them was Beaver, who once paid Crack Head Dev to fake his death.
29. WIF’s “Ad Dream”
Dogwifhat (WIF) is seen as a “blue-chip meme.” A group of investors, including Ansem from CABAL, raised $700,000 to display its ad on the giant Sphere screen in Las Vegas. But eight months passed with no result—not even Bitcoin made it up there first. As time dragged on, investors grew increasingly suspicious of fund managers.
30. Everything Gets a Pink Hat
Dogwifhat’s popularity sparked a “pink hat craze” among meme coin fans. Pets, celebrities, meme coins, even cars—all got symbolic pink hats.
31. The Fired Intern Is Back!
Polymarket, one of the year’s most successful crypto projects, gained fame as a “source of truth” during the U.S. election. But it sparked controversy—and fired an intern—after the intern promoted a “Retardio” NFT project on the official Twitter account.
As public backlash shifted toward Polymarket, the intern was rehired.
Bonus fact: The UK Financial Conduct Authority later issued a scam warning for the token, making one wonder: Why target just this one?
32. Hype Over Rumors
When Trump claimed Haitian immigrants eat pets during his debate with Kamala Harris, crypto degens eagerly rubbed their hands together, ready to cash in. After all, memes around this absurd rumor had already emerged.
But their excitement was short-lived. When ABC debate moderators immediately debunked the baseless claim, these trash coins plummeted, leaving a mess behind.
33. News Breaks, Coin Crashes
When rumors surfaced that Kamala Harris would pick Tim Walz as her running mate, crypto speculators panicked. Meme coin communities built around other potential VP candidates collapsed overnight.
Take SHAPERO, a meme coin deliberately misspelling Josh Shapiro’s name. When Walz-related news spread on social media, the token’s price instantly plunged 94%. Still, the project’s anonymous leader urged supporters in Telegram to stay strong, blaming FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt—not the token) for artificially suppressing prices.
But just four minutes later, CNN officially confirmed Walz as Harris’s VP pick.
“Oh my god, who’s dumping so hard?” one SHAPERO investor desperately cried in the group.
34. The President Didn’t Die, He Just Fell Asleep
Source: Shutterstock
Before Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, rumors swirled that he had died—sparking a meme coin frenzy. A token called Biden Dead (BIDEAD) even predicted Biden’s “death date,” briefly surging to a $660,000 market cap. Another token, Biden Done (BIDONE), featuring a cartoon skull of the president, reached $567,000 in market cap.
But when the “death” rumors were debunked, these tokens crashed across the board. As of writing, Biden is allegedly still alive.
35. Who “Assassinated” Trump?
Remember when Trump almost got assassinated? No, not the second time—the first. Users on Pump.fun actually guessed the attacker’s identity correctly before the FBI officially revealed it. Impressive, yes—but many meme coins guessed wrong, like one betting the shooter was an Italian journalist who was actually asleep at home.
Even more absurd: the popular Telegram game Hamster Kombat turned Trump’s fist-raising moment into a strange tribute animation—another “mystery move” in the crypto world.
36. The “Crypto Blackout” in UK Elections
In the U.S. presidential election, crypto was both a hot topic and a key funding source. Trump proposed pro-crypto policies, winning broad support from the crypto community. But in the UK election, no major party mentioned crypto or blockchain in their manifestos.
A UK lobbying firm criticized this as a “missed opportunity”, given 10% of UK adults hold crypto. Worse, Rishi Sunak, Conservative Party leader and a public crypto supporter, failed to make it a policy priority, leading to a crushing defeat.
37. “Grandma’s Inheritance? I Invested It For Her”
The volatility of meme coins keeps investors glued—not even at a hospital bedside with a dying grandmother could one trader look away from DEX Screener data.
“Rest in peace, Grandma,” he tweeted. “But I’m taking over your inheritance investments—that’s what she’d want.”
38. Dr. Disrespect’s “Fishing Stunt”
Popular streamer Dr. Disrespect, also co-founder of the crypto shooter game Deadrop, once admitted on Twitter to inappropriate chats with minors—then claimed it was all fake.
He explained he posted it deliberately to “fish” for journalists. Well, doc, we bit. If that’s how you want attention, go ahead.
39. Degens’ Revenge on the Rug-Pulling Kid
A teenage developer pulled a rug on his Solana meme coin after its market cap surpassed $1 million. He earned $30,000, excitedly recorded a video flipping off investors, shouting, “Thanks for the 20 large!” and danced around his room.
But humiliated investors (aka degens) fought back. Through heavy trading, they pushed the token’s market cap to a peak of $85 million. Had the kid not rug-pulled and instead respected his holders, his little coin could’ve been worth over $4 million. See? That’s what happens when you disrespect your elders!
40. DOGE’s New Chapter
In May, Doge, the mascot of Dogecoin, sadly passed away. To honor him, his owner adopted a new rescue Shiba Inu named Neiro. Soon, Neiro-related tokens sprouted like mushrooms, accompanied by fierce infighting, scam accusations, and conspiracy theories. Despite the owner clearly stating she doesn’t support any Neiro-related tokens, chaos persisted. Is nothing sacred?
Months later, in December, Own the Doge DAO announced a vote to decide which meme coin would receive Neiro’s intellectual property (IP). One tweet commented: “Not heartwarming at all.”
“I see many tokens related to Kabosu and Neiro. Clarifying: I don’t support any crypto projects except @ownthedoge’s $dog, as they own the original Doge photo and IP (which I’ve granted them) and focus on charity and Doge culture.” — @kabosumama, July 28, 2024.
41. Bitcoin ETF Shenanigans
An AI-generated image shows a figure resembling SEC Chair Gary Gensler riding the Wall Street Bull, announcing a new era for crypto.
In January, the SEC’s official Twitter account posted that all 13 spot Bitcoin ETFs were approved. But the account had been hacked—none were actually approved.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler later clarified the tweet was fake, and Bitcoin dropped from $47,680 to just above $45,500. For some investors, like MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor, this was a perfect “buy the dip” moment. (The real ETF approval came the next day.)
42. Dreams About Satoshi
“Last night, Satoshi visited me in a dream and gave me Santa’s list. I saw Bitcoin alongside Gates and Bezos… History is being written.” — Scottie Pippen, December 9, 2024.
NBA legend Scottie Pippen claimed multiple times this year to have dreamed of Satoshi Nakamoto.
In his first dream, he said Satoshi expressed pride in his work tokenizing the basketball used in Game 5 of the 1991 Chicago Bulls vs. LA Lakers Finals. In another dream in September, Satoshi reappeared, telling him Bitcoin would hit $84,650 on November 5—off by about $14,000 in reality.
Pippen added that Satoshi showed him many images in the dream and constantly mocked Bitcoin’s price. He also mentioned Bitcoin, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos were on Santa’s list—but didn’t say if it was the “naughty” or “nice” list.
43. Booing Bitcoin
At Ohio State University’s graduation ceremony, a speech mentioning Bitcoin drew boos from the audience. This suggests that while Bitcoin has become a brand, to this crowd, it’s a tiresome and possibly fraudulent one. — Andrew M. Bailey (@resistancemoney), May 6, 2024.
Who would’ve thought someone on psychedelics (like ayahuasca) would suddenly gain spiritual insight into alternative assets and deliver a pro-Bitcoin speech at Ohio State’s graduation? Speaker Chris Pan was booed for mentioning crypto but stood by his truth.
He said on Instagram Stories: “I wasn’t there to give a speech—I was there to share truth, so we can stop funding wars, stop the bleeding.” He even performed a parody of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” live—quite comically.
44. Malaysia Crushes Bitcoin Miners
Malaysian authorities destroyed 985 Bitcoin mining rigs nationwide during a crackdown on electricity theft. While crypto mining is often criticized for power consumption, maybe Malaysia would rank higher in GDP if they invested in Bitcoin instead of destroying miners. Currently, it ranks 37th out of 195 countries—not bad.
“Perak Tengah police headquarters destroyed 985 devices used for Bitcoin mining, worth about 1.98 million Malaysian ringgit.” — Join TechFlow official community to stay tuned Telegram:https://t.me/TechFlowDaily X (Twitter):https://x.com/TechFlowPost X (Twitter) EN:https://x.com/BlockFlow_News
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