Creator of Nyan Cat Earns $700K in Meme Coin Royalties, Remains Cautious
Chris Torres, the creator of the iconic Nyan Cat meme, has earned over $700,000 in fees from a meme coin launchpad. Despite this significant income, Torres emphasizes that he does not endorse these volatile digital assets, likening the meme coin landscape to the "wild west."
He has claimed nearly 4,000 SOL (over $706,000) through the Bags token launchpad, which allows users to launch tokens and assign royalties to X accounts. A Nyan Cat token on this platform briefly achieved a $12 million market cap. Torres maintains a cautious stance, stating he is unaware of who launches these tokens or how supply is manipulated.
Torres previously sold a one-of-one Nyan Cat GIF NFT for 300 ETH (valued at $690,000) in 2021 and has since helped other meme creators tokenize their work. He believes NFTs are a more natural fit for art in the crypto space than meme coins, which often focus on price appreciation.