What Is Moodeng? MOODENG Token Price, Viral Origins & How to Buy

 Moodeng meme coin, Moo Deng hippo crypto, MOODENG Solana

A baby pygmy hippopotamus named Moo Deng went viral in September 2024, and within days, someone launched a meme coin about her. That coin is now listed on Coinbase, Binance, and dozens of other exchanges. It hit a $600 million market cap. One early trader turned $800 into $7.5 million. And Vitalik Buterin adopted the actual hippo.

MOODENG is a Solana-based meme token launched through Pump.fun on September 11, 2024. No presale. No team allocation. No utility beyond being a community-driven fan token for the internet's favorite hippo. It reached an all-time high of $0.69 on November 15, 2024, then bled out through 2025 alongside the broader crypto market. Today it trades at approximately $0.047, down 93% from peak, with a market cap around $46 million.

The story of MOODENG is the story of how internet virality translates into speculative markets. Nothing more, nothing less.

Who Is Moo Deng?

Moo Deng is a female pygmy hippopotamus born on July 10, 2024, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi province, Thailand. Her name translates to "bouncy pork" in Thai, chosen through a public poll. Pygmy hippos are an endangered species native to West Africa, with only about 2,000 remaining in the wild.

She went viral because she is ridiculous. Photos of her looking terrified while being picked up by her caretaker, videos of her biting her handler's knees, clips of her gobbling lettuce with reckless enthusiasm. The content was relatable, endlessly memeable, and perfectly suited for every social media platform.

Major brands jumped in. DreamWorks Animation, Microsoft Edge, Bayern Munich, Universal Pictures, and Windows all posted Moo Deng content. BBC, The Today Show, and The New York Times covered her. Google Trends showed peak search interest on September 29, 2024, with users from Singapore, the US, Canada, Australia, and Thailand leading searches.

Zoo attendance doubled. The zoo implemented visitor time limits. They began trademarking "Moo Deng" for licensing and fundraising.

Then crypto did what crypto does.

How Did MOODENG Become a Crypto Token?

On September 11, 2024, someone launched MOODENG on Pump.fun, Solana's meme coin creation platform. The token had a fixed supply, no buy or sell taxes, no presale, and no institutional allocation. Fair launch. First come, first served.

Within 18 days, MOODENG went from roughly $0.00001 to $0.34, a gain of over 3,400,000%. The market cap crossed $100 million on September 26, then $300 million by month's end.

The early gains created their own narrative. Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence tracked a wallet that turned $800 into $3.5 million, then $7.5 million, all without selling. Another trader turned $1,331 into $3.4 million in 15 days. These stories spread across crypto Twitter and pulled more buyers in.

Source: Coinmarketcap

One detail worth noting. 100% of the supply is already in circulation. No vesting schedules, no team tokens dripping into the market. That is unusual for meme coins and removes one source of sell pressure that drags on many other tokens.

What Happened with Vitalik Buterin and Moo Deng?

Vitalik Buterin got involved twice.

In October 2024, he sold 10 billion MOODENG tokens (the Ethereum version) for 308 ETH and donated the proceeds to charity. He still held 40 billion tokens at the time. He posted that meme coins should be "maximally positive-sum for the world." MOODENG pumped 480% in 24 hours on the Ethereum chain.

Then in December 2024, Buterin went further. He adopted the actual hippo. He donated 10 million Thai Baht ($293,000) plus 88 ETH to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo's Wildlife Sponsorship Program, becoming Moo Deng's official adoptive father for two years. The funds went toward a 1,600 square meter enclosure for Moo Deng and her family.

The Solana-based MOODENG token surged 70% on the news. Trading volume spiked 300%. Futures open interest jumped 9% within four hours to $115 million.

The Vitalik connection gave MOODENG something most meme coins lack. A legitimate feel-good story backed by a figure the crypto world respects. The zoo has not endorsed the token. But the association is powerful.

How Has MOODENG's Price Performed?

The pattern is textbook meme coin. Sharp rallies tied to exchange listings (Binance Futures, Coinbase, Robinhood, Binance Alpha) and cultural moments (Vitalik adoption, birthday). Each spike is followed by a bleed-out as momentum fades and profit-takers exit.

Daily trading volume sits around $9-12 million, traded across 64 exchanges and 77 markets. OKX carries the highest MOODENG/USDT volume. Coinbase, Gate.io, KuCoin, and Bybit are also active.

How Does MOODENG Compare to Other Meme Coins?

MOODENG sits in a specific niche. It is an animal meme coin based on a real, living animal, not a cartoon or internet joke.

MOODENG's differentiator is the real-world anchor. Moo Deng is a living, breathing animal whose life generates ongoing content. Her first birthday (July 10, 2025) triggered a 45% price spike. Future zoo events, milestones, and media coverage create recurring catalysts that most meme coins do not have.

The downside is the same as every meme coin. No protocol, no revenue, no utility. When attention fades, so does the price.

How to Buy MOODENG

MOODENG is widely listed across major exchanges.

Via Phemex

Phemex lists MOODENG/USDT for spot trading.

1. Create a Phemex account and complete verification

2. Deposit USDT or purchase with fiat

3. Search for MOODENG/USDT in spot trading

4. Place your order (market or limit)

Via Other Exchanges

MOODENG trades on Coinbase, OKX, Gate.io, KuCoin, Bybit, and Robinhood among others. OKX carries the highest centralized exchange volume.

On-Chain (Solana DEX)

You can buy MOODENG directly on Raydium or Jupiter using a Solana wallet like Phantom. You will need SOL for the swap and gas fees. Solana gas costs are minimal, typically under $0.01 per transaction. Make sure you are swapping the correct MOODENG token by verifying the contract address on the token's official channels.

👉 Trade MOODENG on Phemex →

What Are the Risks?

No utility. MOODENG has no protocol, no DeFi integration, no staking mechanism, and no revenue model. The price is entirely driven by attention and speculation.

Whale concentration. Top wallets control a significant portion of supply. On-chain data shows consistent profit-taking after rallies, including an 18% drop in July 2025 after a post-surge selloff. One large holder dumping can trigger cascading liquidations.

Attention dependency. Moo Deng's virality peaked in late 2024. While she generates periodic spikes (birthdays, media features), the baseline attention is lower than the initial frenzy. If the hippo stops trending, the token loses its primary catalyst.

Multiple MOODENG tokens exist. There are versions on Solana, Ethereum, Base, and other chains. The Solana version (moodengsol.com) is the dominant one with the largest market cap. The Ethereum version has separate dynamics, including Vitalik holding roughly 7% of that supply. Buying the wrong version is a common mistake.

93% down from ATH. Meme coins can recover from these levels, but many do not. The history of crypto is full of meme tokens that spiked once and never came back.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Moodeng (MOODENG)?

MOODENG is a Solana-based meme coin inspired by Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo who went viral in September 2024. It launched on Pump.fun with a fair distribution model and no transaction taxes.

Did Vitalik Buterin buy MOODENG?

Vitalik interacted with the Ethereum version of MOODENG, selling 10 billion tokens and donating proceeds to charity. He also adopted the real hippo, donating $293,000 to her zoo. He did not buy the Solana version.

What is MOODENG's total supply?

Approximately 990 million tokens, all currently in circulation. No vesting, no team allocation, no future emissions.

Where can I buy MOODENG?

MOODENG is available on Phemex, Coinbase, OKX, Gate.io, KuCoin, Bybit, Robinhood, and on Solana DEXs like Raydium and Jupiter.

Is there a difference between MOODENG on Solana and Ethereum?

Yes. They are separate tokens with separate communities and market caps. The Solana version has the larger market cap ($46M) and more exchange listings. The Ethereum version is smaller ($7M market cap) and has a connection to Vitalik Buterin who holds roughly 7% of its supply.

Bottom Line

MOODENG is a meme coin built on a viral moment. The viral moment was real. The hippo is real. The Vitalik adoption story is real. And a $46 million market cap with $10 million daily volume means the community is still active, even after a 93% decline from peak.

But there is no product, no protocol, and no revenue. MOODENG trades on narrative momentum, exchange listings, and cultural moments tied to a baby hippo in Thailand. If you trade it, you are trading the next headline. Not fundamentals.

The next known catalyst is Moo Deng's second birthday on July 10, 2026. Her first birthday triggered a 45% spike. The pattern could repeat. Or not. Meme coins do not follow patterns. They follow attention.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Meme coins carry extreme volatility and potential for total loss of capital. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.