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Chill Guy Meme Coin Surges 2,000% to $455M Market Cap: The TikTok Trend Taking Over Crypto

Artist threatens legal action on ‘Chill Guy’ meme tokens, community responds

Creator of Viral ‘Chill Guy’ Meme Takes Legal Action Against $500M Token

Ruholamin Haqshanas

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Ruholamin Haqshanas

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Oct 2021

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Ruholamin Haqshanas is a contributing crypto writer for CryptoNews. He is a crypto and finance journalist with over four years of experience. Ruholamin has been featured in several high-profile crypto...

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November 21, 2024

Artist Phillip Banks, the creator behind the viral “Just a Chill Guy” meme, has announced plans to enforce copyright protection on his popular character.

The announcement comes as the meme, a laid-back, anthropomorphic dog with a signature smirk and hands in pockets, has taken over the crypto world with its meteoric rise in value.

“Just putting it out there, chill guy has been copyrighted. like, legally. I’ll be issuing takedowns on for-profit related things over the next few days,” Banks wrote on X.

He added that this does not include brand accounts using the meme as a trend. “Mainly unauthorized merchandise and shitcoins,” he added.

Just a Chill Guy Meme Becomes Viral SensationThe “Just a Chill Guy” meme gained traction in late 2023 after Banks initially posted the illustration on social media.

The character quickly resonated with audiences, becoming a viral sensation on platforms like TikTok and X.

Known for its casual and carefree demeanor, the humanoid dog became symbolic of a stress-free approach to life.

The meme recently garnered further global attention when El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele shared it on his official X account.

The viral success of the character has extended into the cryptocurrency space, with the launch of the Solana-based memecoin, $CHILLGUY.

Serving as the coin’s mascot, the “Chill Guy” character played a pivotal role in the token’s explosive rise.

The CHILLGUY’s value surged an astonishing 538% in just two days, skyrocketing its market capitalization from $11.5 million on Monday to $488 million by Wednesday.

One trader, identified by the wallet address 9zW, reportedly turned a modest investment of just over $1,100 into unrealized gains exceeding $1 million.

Initially investing $233.89 during the token’s early stages on the Pump.fun meme coin launchpad, the trader capitalized on the coin’s 38,800% surge to a $4.4 million market cap within 30 hours.

The rollercoaster did not stop there.

Despite a temporary retracement, $CHILLGUY experienced another rally, leading the trader to make additional investments totaling $867.35.

By the time the token peaked on Wednesday, the trader had sold $411,500 worth of holdings while still holding tokens valued at $636,942.

Meme Coin Season Rages OnNotably, there have been more examples of traders turning a small investment into a massive fortune as of late as the meme coin mania rages on.

Just recently, an anonymous trader turned a $17 investment in Pnut, a meme coin inspired by a viral squirrel, into an astonishing $3 million in Solana tokens.

The token, created through Pump.Fun, gained popularity following the story of P’Nut, a squirrel euthanized for a rabies test, which sparked widespread internet support.

By leveraging perfect timing, the trader capitalized on Pnut’s meteoric rise, swapping tokens at their peak value of $1.50 just hours after Binance announced its listing.

The creator of an image used for a $300 million memecoin Chill Guy plans to issue takedown requests.Pursuing legal action may be difficult.The identity of the person who made the memecoin isn't known.Chill Guy, a memecoin that soared to a $500 million market value, is in jeopardy.

Phillip Banks, the digital artist who created the character used for the memecoin, said he plans to issue takedown requests for “for-profit related things” over the coming days.

“Just putting it out there, Chill Guy has been copyrighted, like, legally,” Banks said in a November 21 X post.

It’s not clear if Banks’ copyright applies to the image of the Chill Guy character, the name Chill Guy, or both.

In any case, pursuing legal action may be difficult.

In crypto, creating new tokens is permissionless. Anyone can do so without going through an approval process of revealing one’s identity.

The identity of the Chill Guy memecoin creator, who only goes by the pseudonym “mrowl,” is unknown, meaning Banks will have to find out who made the token to get any potential takedown request to stick.

Failing that, Banks could still petition known entities, such as decentralised crypto exchanges, to avoid the token, crippling traders’ ability to buy and sell it.

In 2021, decentralised exchange Uniswap restricted access through its website to a small number of tokens that potentially violated US securities laws, although those tokens could still be traded by interacting with the Ethereum blockchain directly.

Later that year, Pepe the Frog creator Matt Furie succeeded in getting NFT marketplace OpenSea to take down the project Sad Frogs District, which Furie claimed rips off the Pepe character.

Takedown requests may also discourage centralised exchanges like Coinbase or Binance from listing Chill Guy. Popular memecoin Pnut surged in value after top crypto exchange Binance listed it for trading.

Banks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Who is Chill Guy?Banks created the Chill Guy character in October 2023.

“His whole deal is he’s a chill guy that lowkey doesn’t give a fuck,” Banks said of his creation at the time.

Over a year later, Chill Guy reappeared when users on social media site TikTok began referencing the character in videos and creating memes embodying his carefree personality.

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As Chill Guy went viral on TikTok, someone used memecoin platform pump.fun to launch a Solana token named after the character on November 15.

Within days, Chill Guy soared to a $500 million market value as traders piled in, according to data from GeckoTerminal.

It has since dropped to around $347 million following Banks’ X posts.

Banks said on X that he doesn’t really care about brands or TikTok users using Chill Guy in posts, asking only that they credit him.

But he said he plans to take action against those profiting from Chill Guy in the form of “unauthorised merchandise and shitcoins.”

Copyright issuesWhile some attempts at copyright takedown in crypto have been successful, such as Pepe creator Furie’s action against OpenSea, others have failed.

Last October, supermarket chain Trader Joe’s sued a decentralised crypto exchange of the same name, claiming that its creators had infringed on its intellectual property and degraded its “wholesome and high-quality brand.”

In February, the judge presiding over the case agreed with the exchange’s request to dismiss it “for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”

Basically, Trader Joe’s couldn’t identify exactly who it was suing.

“These are decentralised crypto operators,” intellectual property lawyer Jonathon Hance told DL News at the time. “They use aliases, they don’t necessarily have a corporate headquarters, some of them are not even clear on who their employees or founders are, and they certainly don’t like to tell you where they keep their assets.”

Not so chill after all.

Tim Craig is DL News’ Edinburgh-based DeFi Correspondent. Reach out with tips at [email protected].

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The illustrator behind the viral “Chill Guy” meme is warning CHILLGUY holders that he plans to take legal action against the Solana (SOL)-based memecoin over copyright issues.

According to a new Decrypt report, Chill Guy creator Phillip Banks recently took to the social media platform X to threaten legal action against unauthorized, for-profit uses of his viral cartoon.

[adinserter block="1"]

“just putting it out there, chill guy has been copyrighted. like, legally. I’ll be issuing takedowns on for-profit related things over the next few days.”

Phillip Banks has locked his X account since the post. Per a screenshot from X user TheDeFiApe, Banks plans on going after unauthorized merchandise and memecoins.

Source: TheDeFiApe/X Despite Banks’ protest, Crypto.com announced yesterday that the exchange was listing CHILLGUY. Gate.io, the tenth-largest crypto exchange by trading volume, also launched CHILLGUY trading yesterday as a “Pilot Section” project.

“CHILLGUY just launched on Gate.io’s Pilot Section and already skyrocketed 1065.01% in its first 24H!

From TikTok sensation to explosive memecoin – CHILLGUY showcases the incredible potential of Gate.io’s Pilot Section projects.”

Though the Chill Guy crypto project has yet to issue an official response, a meme posted to the memecoin’s X account this morning appears to be directed at Banks.

“Keep your crypto donations I’ll enjoy my Xbox.”

Source: chillguyx/X CHILLGUY is trading for $0.381 at time of writing, down 5.5% in the last 24 hours. Chill Guy is down 18.6% from its all-time high of $0.479, reached yesterday. Following Banks’ tweet, CHILLGUY fell about 54%. The extremely volatile memecoin was created less than seven days ago.

Generated Image: DALLE3

Solana meme coin Just a chill guy (CHILLGUY) price soared over 40% on Wednesday, defying the broader trend with backing from prominencies. Notably, Binance and some other top exchanges have announced support for the meme coin and MrBeast lauded the meme behind it. Simultaneously, with additional bullish on-chain metrics weighing in, the crypto has garnered significant interest among traders and investors in the market, as indicated by a roughly 25% surge in intraday trading volume.

CHILLGUY Gains Traction Amid Backing From Major Exchanges & MrBeast The meme coin ‘Just a chill guy’ rides an optimistic wave against the backdrop of Binance’s support and some other top crypto exchanges, such as Bybit and KuCoin, listing the token. In an X post, Binance launched perpetual contracts for the meme coin, with traders able to use up to 75x leverage.

Meanwhile, in an official X post dated November 27, KuCoin revealed that it is listing the coin, with deposits now open. Simultaneously, trading for the token is to commence on the same day, with the trading pair CHILLGUY/USDT being added to the platform.

In addition, the crypto exchange Bybit revealed listing the same trading pair mentioned above, with withdrawals starting at 10 AM UTC today. The update also revealed that Spot Grid Bots services will be supported for the token on the platform.

Overall, these listings have ignited an optimistic torrent for the Solana meme coin, paving the path for further investor interaction with the asset. Further, it’s also noteworthy that the coin could see further listings as it continues to gain market popularity.

Notably, the renowned American personality MrBeast took to X on November 26, reiterating that Just a chill guy is the “Biggest meme of our lifetimes.” This statement has added fuel to the optimistic fire for the crypto amid its phenomenal price gains.

However, it’s also noteworthy that the American millionaire was recently accused of partaking in crypto pump-and-dump schemes. Nevertheless, CoinGape Media reported MrBeast to have denied the crypto scam allegations, sparking discussions globally while also adding intrigue to the meme token.

Altogether, the abovementioned events have pushed the Solana meme coin to emerge as the talk of the crypto town, with remarkable gains witnessed in CHILLGUY price whilst the coin continues to eye further bullish movements.

Solana Meme Coin’s Price Rockets Notably, soon after the token’s inception into the crypto realm, it has offered investors remarkable gains. The coin trades whoppingly above its all-time low of $0.2164.

At the time of reporting, CHILLGUY price witnessed gains worth 40% intraday and is trading at $$0.622. Its 24-hour low and high were $0.4156 and $0.648, respectively. The coin’s trading volume witnessed a 23% surge from yesterday to $244.96 million. Moreover, the weekly chart for the crypto indicated gains worth 51%. This bullish trajectory has sparked substantial investor enthusiasm about the asset amid major backing.

Further, Lookonchain data on November 27 indicated that a trader ‘sbfonchain.sol’ sold massive amounts of WIF to buy $1 million of Just a chill guy coin. This data showed a heightened market interest in the asset while also bringing further buying pressure to the crypto.

Simultaneously, another trader, 9cSDZ, spent only $160 to buy 12.5 million CHILLGUY 12 days ago. To date, holding 9.62 million of the same token for a profit of $6.14 million, this trader has garnered further attention to the meme-themed coin. Overall, the abovementioned stats have solidified market optimism on the crypto’s long-term prospects.

However, it’s also worth noting that the crypto also faces risks due to legal action from Phillip Banks, the creator behind the original meme Just a chill guy. Notably, the meme creator expresses his unhappiness with his art usage in the crypto project, primarily for profit-making purposes.

A trader won a fortune betting on a cryptocurrency inspired by a viral internet meme, which is now worth more than $500 million in market capitalization.

What Happened: On-chain tracking platform Lookonchain took to X Wednesday, highlighting the extraordinary trade of
Just a chill guy (CHILLGUY) token.

The trader turned a mere $160 into a staggering $6.14 million in just 12 days, marking a 38,399X return on investment.

The trader purchased 12.5 million CHILLGUY tokens on Pump.fun, a Solana (CRYPTO: SOL)-based meme coin launching pad, for 0.75 SOL, equivalent to $160. Subsequently, they sold 2.8 million CHILLGUY for 149 SOL, worth $35,400.

The trader still has 9.62 million tokens in their coffers, valued at $6.1 million, resulting in a total profit of $6.14 million.

See Also: Peter Schiff Calls MicroStrategy A ‘Great Short’ And Issues A Grim Warning: ‘It Can Only End In Bankruptcy’

The huge windfall planted doubts in the minds of some observers, who called the trader an insider. Since their sale, the price of the token has plummeted as much as 21%.

Schemes like pump-and-dumps have been fairly common in the cryptocurrency market, where a person or group starts to artificially inflate the price. Once unsuspecting investors are lured in and the price is sufficiently "pumped," the holders start dumping their assets at profits.

That said, there was nothing concrete to suggest that the same transpired in the aforementioned case.

The meme coin, based on the “Chill Guy” meme, featuring a dog in a sweater and jeans with a smirk, has quickly grown into a half-billion-dollar market capitalization asset.

Over the last week, the token has jumped over 46% as cryptocurrency traders continue to turn internet memes and trends into money-making possibilities.

The token has a circulating supply of 999.7 million, while its volume-to-market cap ratio stood at 31.08% as of this writing.

Price Action: At the time of writing, CHILLGUY was exchanging hands at $0.5186, down 5.09% in the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap. Its trading volume plunged by 47% to $156 million in the last 24 hours.

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Bitcoin has protected the $100K mark and is consolidating above the all-important price level.

There are several factors that have contributed to Bitcoin’s recent run. For starters, the CBOE Volatility Index is now down to just under 20. Also known as the fear index, the CBOE measures the expected volatility in markets for the next 30 days.

A lower VIX shows less expected volatility and signs of stability. Earlier in the year, the VIX stood at just under 60, representing high uncertainty. However, it’s now come down to a 30-year average of just 20.

The recent de-escalation in the ongoing US-China tariff war has also played a major role in strengthening Bitcoin above $100K. The US has agreed to tariffs of 30%, whereas China will now only impose a 10% tariff on US goods.

This has led to ‘risk on’ sentiment when it comes to Bitcoin investors. Keep reading as we dig into various technical reasons that point towards an even greener crypto market in the coming weeks.

We’ll also recommend three tokens that could be the next crypto to 1,000x if the market remains this bullish.

Bitcoin ‘Risk-On’ Sentiments The US CPI inflation rate has also dropped to 2.3% YOY in April 2025, down 0.1% compared to March. This is the lowest it has been since February 2021. Slowing inflation indicates stable economic conditions, supporting the ‘risk-on’ environment for Bitcoin.

Data from CryptoQuant shows that the Bitcoin Bull Score Index has increased from 20 to 80. While a score of 22-50 indicates neutral to slightly bullish conditions, a score above 80 indicates that Bitcoin is extremely bullish with strong rallies.

Historically, whenever the Bull Score Index has hit 80, it has been followed by strong market rallies.

What’s more, the Bitcoin fear-greed index is also moving up. It now stands at 53.3%. Although you could argue that this is slightly higher, it’s still quite far from the overload zone at 80%.

All these positive market sentiments suggest that Bitcoin may soon break its all-time high and head towards the highly anticipated $135K level.

Trump’s Promise Confirms Bullish Bias Speaking at the Saudi-US investment forum, Trump said that the markets are going to go a lot higher from here.

He said that a lot of investment is happening, and jobs are being created at a pace never seen before. This will propel the equity markets to a new high.

The magic may also pass on to Bitcoin, which has become a ‘safe-haven’ investment for corporations.

Similarly, Twenty One Capital, an investment vehicle backed by Cantor Fitzgerald, now holds a total of 36,312 $BTC. This is after Tether recently bought $458.7M worth of $BTC for the firm.

We continue to accretively grow our Bitcoin arsenal using operating cash flow and proceeds from debt and equity financings. – Eric Semler, chairman of Semler Scientific

As is pretty evident, there is an increasing push by corporations to convert part of their cash reserves into Bitcoin. With strong technical indicators and market confidence, Bitcoin looks well poised to reach $135K.

If you don’t want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime bull run, here are a few cryptos worth investing in.

1. BTC Bull Token ($BTCBULL) – Best Bitcoin-Themed Altcoin to Buy Right Now BTC Bull Token ($BTCBULL) is undoubtedly one of the frontrunners to become the next big crypto coin, thanks to its unique way of rooting for Bitcoin.

It’s, in fact, the ONLY crypto today offering free (and 100% real) $BTC in its airdrops to its token holders.

This is huge not only because $BTC is essentially worth $100K+ but also because it’s flipping the script on how crypto projects have typically gone about their airdrops, i.e., by offering more of their own tokens for free.

BTC Bull Token’s Bitcoin airdrops will occur each time the king cryptocurrency breaches a new landmark figure, such as $150K, $200K, and $250K. To take part, you need to hold your $BTCBULL tokens in Best Wallet.

More good news for $BTCBULL investors: the project will follow a deflationary model. Under this, a handful of $BTCBULL tokens will be erased from the total supply at regular intervals.

As supply shrinks and $BTC marches on, we can expect $BTCBULL to absolutely explode. It’s worth noting that according to our BTC Bull Token price prediction, this new crypto could easily reach $0.096 by 2026.

Looking to buy $BTCBULL? Each token costs just $0.00251, and the project has already raised over $5.7M.

2. SUBBD Token ($SUBBD) – Revolutionary New Crypto Changing the Online Creator Industry SUBBD Token ($SUBBD) sets itself apart by being the first-ever crypto subscription platform to integrate AI.

It’s a beacon of hope for the $85B digital content industry that has been struggling with high commissions, little to no automation, and dying creator-fan relationships.

Creators on SUBBD will have a slew of AI tools, such as voice, image, and video generators, to upscale and automate the entire process of creating and distributing content.

In addition to benefiting from lower platform fees, they’ll also have the liberty to set up various payment models for their content. These include pay-per-view, subscriptions, tipping, and NFT sales.

As for the fans, they’ll be able to use $SUBBD, the platform’s native token, to pay for all the exclusive content available on SUBBD.

In addition to access to premium AI content, $SUBBD token holders will also get discounts on subscriptions and content, early-bird access to new features, and voting rights.

Combined with a staking program that gives token holders access to exclusive creator livestreams, daily BTS drops, and a fixed APY of 20%, it’s not a surprise that our $SUBBD price prediction found the token could jump 1,200% by 2026.

Buy the $SUBBD presale token today for just $0.0554 each. The project has so far raised over $390K in early investor funding.

3. Just a chill guy ($CHILLGUY) – Amusing Meme Coin on a Roll Right Now What do you call a person who diligently hustles as a taxi driver in GTA V? Stupid? Depressed? Nah; we’d say they’re ‘Just a chill guy.’

The GTA V example perfectly explains what this extraordinarily viral meme stands for – a ‘lowkey,’ ‘whatever’ attitude that doesn’t care about what anyone thinks.

The meme character is quite dashing, too. He dons blue jeans, red shoes, and a grey sweater, all of which, by the way, pale in comparison to the coolness with which he keeps his hands in his pockets and boasts a smirk on his face.

Needless to say, this is exactly the kind of meme crypto degens love to back. As a result, there’s nothing ‘chill’ about $CHILLGUY’s performance.

The token is up over 130% in the last seven days and a brain-melting 460% in the last month or so. Plus, given that it’s still available for just $0.1140, Just a chill guy is easily one of the best cryptos to buy now.

The Next Crypto to 1,000X – A Real Possibility or a Pipe Dream? There’s no refuting that top altcoins like $BTCBULL and $SUBBD have the potential to generate massive gains. However, they, like much of the altcoin space, depend on the broader crypto market’s pace and direction.

Even though things, as they stand now, look bright, really bad news could send prices crashing any minute. So, despite the bullishness, we suggest that you only invest an amount you’re comfortable losing.

Also, kindly do your own research before investing; our articles are not financial advice.