In the realm of Shiba Inu-themed meme coins, known for their endearing memes and unique language, recent tensions have surfaced within the Solana ecosystem. These tensions stem from a dispute over an NFT featuring the real-life Shiba Inu named Achi, who served as the inspiration for the popular Dogwifhat (WIF) meme coin.
Dogwifhat owners and the Solana ecosystem are at loggerheads
A South Korean Instagram user recently revealed that Achi, the Shiba Inu showcased in the “Dogwifhat” meme, is their beloved pet. They announced plans to auction an NFT of the original iconic photo of Achi donning a woven beanie, which they crafted for the dog. The user’s Instagram profile has a history of sharing photos of Achi in various woven outfits over the past five years.
The profile also includes the renowned “Dogwifhat” photo posted in December 2018, nearly a year before it gained widespread attention. Partners of the Achi NFT auction have confirmed the user’s identity as Achi’s genuine owner. However, this announcement sparked tensions within the WIF community and among other Solana users.
Some expressed disappointment that Achi’s owners chose to collaborate with Feisty DAO, an online community experienced in acquiring and dividing Shiba Inu-related NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain, for the NFT auction. The new Achi NFT will be minted as an Ethereum NFT and is currently up for auction on the Foundation platform. The highest bid so far stands at 50 ETH, equivalent to over $182,000.
Strained relations and platform preference
Despite complaints and requests for Achi’s parents to partner with the WIF team on Solana instead, the pet owners urged the community to refrain from criticism, stating that they had no reason to be blamed and requested support instead. It is important to note that Achi’s owners previously attempted to collaborate with Solana users, but the experience turned sour when a meme coin named ACHI, backed by Achi’s parents, allegedly pulled out of the project shortly after its launch.
Following this negative experience, Achi’s owners opted to team up with Feisty DAO for the NFT auction, considering the DAO’s successful track record with NFT sales. While certain members of the WIF community expressed frustration over not being involved in the NFT launch, it appears that little effort was made to reach out to Achi’s family before.
Despite WIF’s market capitalization exceeding $3 billion and substantial bids for the Achi NFT, there was minimal communication between the WIF community and Achi’s owners until recently. Path, a member of Feisty DAO facilitating the Achi NFT auction, mentioned considering re-minting the NFT on Solana if there’s interest from the Solana community.
However, outreach to prominent WIF community members, such as Ansem, didn’t result in interest in purchasing the Achi NFT on Solana. The tensions between the WIF community and Achi’s owners highlight the complexities and challenges within the Shiba Inu-themed meme coin ecosystem, particularly regarding NFTs and partnerships across different blockchain platforms.
