Notable web3 builder Punk6529 often says that Memes are the most important thing in the world.
As a website that has been built on Memes for over a decade, social media platform 9GAG would likely agree.
With more than 200 million followers across its social media, 9GAG was already well-established when it announced a move into web3 with the aptly named Memeland in April 2022. Building its community throughout the depths of the NFT bear market, the project has grown a loyal following via a strategic series of drops that provide different levels of tiers to enter the ecosystem.
With a series of intertwining collections and more on the horizon, Memeland has developed a rich universe of NFT lore and excitement.
Here is everything you need to know about Memeland:
What Is 9GAG?
Unlike many NFT projects, the Memeland ecosystem was created by an already established Web2 company. Launched in 2008, 9GAG is a social media website allowing users to share content including Memes, GIFs, and photos. The platform boasts millions of users worldwide, and has a massive social media presence across popular sites — including 16 million followers on Twitter and 58 million on Instagram.
9GAG CEO Ray Chan is no stranger to the space —an avid and active NFT trader, Chan's collection includes nearly all of the major projects in the space. Additionally, the team features a wide range of notable advisors — including Gary Vee (VeeFriends) and Kevin Rose (PROOF, Moonbirds).
Memeland's NFT Collections
The Memeland ecosystem is composed of multiple NFT collections, which we'll explore below.
The 'YOU THE REAL MVP' Collection
The first release from Memeland, the YOU THE REAL MVP collection, featured 420 golden trophies that represented the most exclusive tier of the Memeland economy.
1/ WTF IS YOU THE REAL MVP? YOU THE REAL MVP is an extra way of thanking, and rewarding our passionate community and team. We are super excited for the adventure ahead, so let's prepare ourselves for the journey in MEMELAND!Memeland
The MVPs were sold via a blind auction in June 2022, finishing at a final price of 5.3 ETH per NFT. The collection offers premium "alpha-group membership" to holders, including exclusive access to information about upcoming Memeland drops, private access to the Memeland Discord MVP Lounge, IRL events, and collaborations. Holders of MVPs also received three free mints for Potatoz and two free mints for Captainz.
MVPs have seen sales as high as 39 ETH, with the collection racking up over 2,500 ETH in secondary volume since launch.
The Potatoz
Several months later, Memeland launched The Potatoz — a collection of 9,999 potato-themed characters and traits inspired by memes and pop culture.
The reveal of Potatoz took users through a 'growing' process, evolving the NFT through time-based non-custodial staking. Users who commit their Potatoz (the NFT does not leave the user's wallet) also accumulate raffle tickets, which are used for weekly prize draws that include various NFTs throughout the project.
Growing Potatoz is also rumored to be "related to $MEME, airdrops, access to IRL events, and more," according to the project's website.
The Captainz
The Captainz, which Memeland calls "the premier membership" of the ecosystem, was released on Jan. 4, 2023. The 9,999-supply collection was priced at 1.069 ETH per NFT, with holders of MVPs receiving two free mints. The project also used an extensive whitelist process, onboarding other NFT communities through months of raffles
While The Captainz are currently unrevealed, the initial drop revealed six different types of characters — including Aliens (rarest type), Kongz, Kaijus, Kraken, Shark, and Human (most common).
Captainz are able to go on quests to 'roam the broken seas', earning Treasure Mapz every seven days that have future utility in the ecosystem:
Users can also add both Potatoz and MVPs to their questing crew, which provides a boost to the rarity level of Mapz received.
Holders will have access to benefits related to the $MEME token and first access to Treasure Islandz, Memeland's upcoming project. They also have a say in the Memeland DAO, helping to make decisions about the treasury, governance rules, and brand partnerships.
Memeland's Roadmap
In addition to the mystery still surrounding Treasure Islandz and $MEME, Memeland has teased several other projects in the works on its website, including a "Tripadvisor for your web3 journey," a parody "web3 OnlyFans," a site for crypto staking, and a platform for pet lovers.
Stakeland
Memeland shed more light on its Stakeland product around the time of Ethereum's Shapella uprade, which unlocked previously staked ETH for potential withdrawal. The project is in the process of creating an easier and more fun staking platform for users that believe in Ethereum like Memeland does.
As part of its testing, Memeland announced its going to set up at least 69 Ethereum Validators (which require 32 ETH each) to help secure and support the Ethereum network.
Important Links:
- Website: https://www.memeland.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/memeland
- Discord: https://discord.gg/memeland
Collections:
