With dog-themed coins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and cat-themed coins like POPCAT, MEW, TOSHI, the meme coin ecosystem has expanded considerably in the animal kingdom. Recently, a squirrel has entered the scene. Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT), for short, is a squirrel-themed meme coin created on the Solana blockchain. Based on the story of Peanut, a pet squirrel that went viral among internet users, this token emerged as a humorous Web3 token rather than traditional crypto projects. PNUT's value proposition is based heavily on its viral nature, community power, and digital humor elements. The project's goal is to create a "fun, participatory, and reward-based ecosystem." In this guide, you can find answers to questions such as what is PNUT coin and why is it talked about so much.
PNUT's Definition and Origins
What is PNUT? PNUT is a meme coin launched on the Solana blockchain in November 2024. It took its name from Peanut, a pet squirrel popular on social media. PNUT, which is part of the new generation “meme coin trend”, is a project based on internet culture and community humor rather than classical financial foundations, in line with the meme coin culture. According to the project’s own definition, it combines Web3 mechanisms such as mini-games, staking, and rewards to achieve its goal. For example, PNUT users can earn rewards in a “play-to-earn” model by collecting “digital nuts”. The tragic story of pet Peanut was reflected in the media in the fall of 2024. Peanut was a squirrel rescued by his owner Mark Longo and reached hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. However, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized the squirrel named Peanut and the raccoon named Fred and culled them in November 2024 due to the risk of carrying rabies. This incident caused a huge public outcry and led to the proposal of an animal rights law called “Peanut’s Law”. This incident caused a huge backlash on social media, and along with the statements made by Peanut's owner, it became a viral movement. In response, an anonymous group of developers launched the PNUT token. Thus, they converted Peanut's legacy into crypto. The token attracted great attention within a few days after its launch.
The main purpose of PNUT is shown as providing users with a fun participation experience. Positioned as a community coin in the Web3 world, PNUT rewards participation through gamification, staking, NFTs and social events. According to the project descriptions, PNUT both develops educational games that teach basic crypto concepts and organizes community reward and donation events.
PNUT's slogan is "A squirrel can change everything". Because it points to the viral power of the project on social media. Indeed, the posts that PNUT spreads include squirrel images and animations, which are frequently shared on social media channels, especially TikTok. A few TikTok posts in particular led to the rapid popularity of the PNUT token. In this way, the token reached a wide audience on social platforms as a humorous content and stood out among the "viral coins".
PNUT History: Major Turning Points
Every great story has a beginning. But this one is a little different: it starts with a squirrel, a hazelnut, and the power of the internet. As we mentioned earlier, Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT) emerged as a joke in 2024, but quickly gained a serious place in the crypto universe. With squirrel videos spreading on social media, viral campaigns, and the energy of the community, the story of PNUT turned into an adventure that would overshadow even classic meme coin tales in a few weeks. Now, let's take a look at the most important turning points of this "nut-filled" journey together.
2024: Token launch took place
The PNUT token entered the market in November 2024 after the squirrel named Peanut was put to sleep. It was minted on the Solana blockchain and offered to the community. PNUT quickly gained popularity immediately after its announcement in November 2024. According to the statements at the launch, the supply amount was determined as approximately 1 billion PNUT. PNUT, which has spread as an embraced project since its early days, was directly supported by the community without raising funds through official means (fair launch). During this period, the project's smart contract was shared as open source and its developers remained anonymous.
“Viral” movement on social media: Elon Musk posts
PNUT went viral, especially on platforms such as TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). PNUT's “animated pre-sale promotional video” spread rapidly on TikTok. Following this, content shared on Reddit and X made PNUT talked about within the community. Humorous posts on social media such as “free squirrel” increased PNUT's participant base. For example, Elon Musk's mysterious posts on the subject also increased interest in PNUT.
"Airdrop for acorn hunters" campaign
To grow the community, the PNUT team organized fun campaigns. One of these campaigns was a giveaway event called "airdrop for nut hunters".
NFT and metaverse moves
The PNUT token is one of several meme coin projects listed on popular centralized and decentralized exchanges. Users in the community also pay for gifts and community initiatives with the PNUT token. The token has the potential to attract more users by integrating PNUT into some games and NFT applications in the Solana ecosystem.
This entirely community-driven project has quickly gained huge popularity thanks to its decentralized structure. Users can collect and trade squirrel-themed NFTs customized with accessories such as nuts, hats, and even superhero capes. Moreover, the team is preparing to bring this humorous spirit to the virtual world: a special metaverse space is being created for the PNUT community in collaboration with VerseWorld. Developments are shared on the community’s Telegram channel, where everyone is welcome to contribute creatively.
Why Is PNUT Valuable?
So where does the value of the PNUT coin, which was born from a tragic squirrel story, actually come from? Here are some factors that affect the value...
Active community and humorous narrative
The most important factor in PNUT's value is its vibrant community. The sense of belonging created by the project's humorous and friendly language in the community encourages users to participate in crypto. Like many memecoins, PNUT is supported by jokes that spread rapidly on the internet. It is thought that PNUT has become one of the "community-driven value creation" tokens like DOGE and SHIB. The PNUT community became more integrated after the majority of the token supply entered circulation and made voluntary promotions for the project. The preference for organic viral marketing instead of institutional funding has made PNUT a "community coin".
PNUT's social media posts quickly gained organic users for the project. Factors such as viral videos on TikTok and Elon Musk's crypto tweets drew the attention of crypto enthusiasts to PNUT. At the same time, squirrel content on Reddit and X attracted new users to the project. This organic growth occurred without advertising spending, so it was fueled by real user interest, not acquisitions. As a result, PNUT reached a market cap of over $1 billion in just a few weeks.
Using the PNUT token
The PNUT token is designed for a variety of uses beyond being a purely speculative asset. For example, PNUT allows the collection and staking of “digital nuts” in mini-games with a P2E (play-to-earn) model. Users can earn more tokens by holding for a while (staking) or receive rewards in community events. PNUT holders can also use their tokens to buy and sell limited-edition squirrel-themed NFTs on the project’s NFT marketplace.
Who is the Founder of PNUT?
PNUT was started by an anonymous team rather than a known corporate backer. According to analysis, a group of developers tokenized Peanut's story and brought PNUT to life. However, the identities of these developers were not disclosed. The project remains anonymous. PNUT’s smart contract is open source, meaning anyone can see and review the code. Moreover, it has a “fair” launch without any pre-sale or ICO to raise funds. This shows that the project is funded by the community, independent of the development and management costs. Community members can give their opinions on project activities and future of PNUT coin via plans.
The community plays the largest role in PNUT governance. It is stated that collective decisions are made within the project using structures similar to the “Peanut DAO”. For example, the roadmap and major updates are shaped by the votes of community members. This democratic approach is a model we have seen in other community coins such as Shiba Inu. As a result, the pulse of users rather than anonymous developers determines PNUT’s path. Everyone can share their ideas in social media groups and Telegram/Discord channels.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
In this article, we examined the PNUT coin, which was launched in memory of the squirrel named Peanut, who passed away with a tragic farewell. Below you can find some frequently asked questions and answers about PNUT:
- Is PNUT really a serious project?: PNUT is not a project with big claims from a technical perspective. It has a structure based more on entertainment, community interaction and humor. In other words, instead of a serious technology project, it offers an environment where users come together, have fun and interact with NFTs. This distinguishes it from classic investment projects.
- Is it a meme coin or an investment?: PNUT is basically a meme coin. This project, born on the Solana network, stands out with community support and humor elements, just like Dogecoin or Shiba Inu. However, this does not mean that it cannot offer any return on investment. Due to its high volatility, both profit and loss potential are great. Therefore, it is useful to be careful when making an investment decision.
- What can be done with the PNUT token?: PNUT tokens can be used for purposes such as interacting with on-platform digital assets such as Squirrel NFTs, participating in certain events within the community, and occasionally participating in staking or rewards programs. It is also suitable for speculative gains by being bought and sold on exchanges.
- How do I join the community?: The best way to join the PNUT community is to follow the project's official social media accounts (especially X/Twitter) and community channels on platforms like Discord. You can usually get information about events, announcements, and new developments from here, and you can interact directly with other members.
- What are Squirrel NFTs for?: Squirrel-themed NFTs are both collectible and some can offer usable benefits in the PNUT ecosystem. For example, certain NFTs can have functions such as access to airdrops, entry to special communities, or use in game-like experiences. The features provided by each NFT may vary.
A squirrel can transform a community. Follow our JR Kripto Guide series to join the PNUT ecosystem and take part in the fun Web3 experience!
