What is the Bored Ape Yacht Club? It’s a digital collectible that took the internet by storm. Here’s how it happened…
The Bored Ape Yacht Club Craze started in early 2021 when a group of artists and writers decided to use their creative imagination to launch their own nft collection. The group, which called themselves the Bored Ape Yacht Club, decided to create an online space where they could share their work and connect with other like-minded people.
Through their business Yuga Labs, the four founders founded the Bored Ape Yacht Club in 2021. Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Gargamel, Gordon Goner, and No Sass are some of the founders’ comical aliases. Or at least they did until BuzzFeed made Gordon Goner and Gargamel’s identities public in February 2022.
The author and book reviewer Greg Solano is revealed to be Gargamel, and Wylie Aronow, 35, is Gordon Goner. Both went on to tweet about their Bored Apes and reveal their real identities. Emperor Tomato Ketchup and No Sass then proceeded to follow suit.
In a Rolling Stone interview, the founders stated that contemporary NFT OGs like CryptoPunks, which have evolved into a type of cultural currency, served as an inspiration for BAYC. Similar to Bored Apes, CryptoPunks is a 10,000-strong collection of one-of-a-kind NFT avatars that is extremely expensive, with one selling for a staggering $11.7 million. Get up to speed on the latest CryptoPunk news and learn why they’re so pricey if you haven’t already.
At the time of release, all of the Bored Apes were allotted on a first-come, first-served basis and cost the same—0.8 ETH. But because they all rapidly sold out, they are now available on OpenSea, a secondary market for NFTs that is similar to eBay. As of this writing, 80 ETH, or roughly $100,000, is the floor price for an ape on OpenSea.
Even before their launch, the team knew that they wanted their project to be different from anything else that was out there. In an interview with Decrypt, Wylie Aronow said: “We wanted to do something for the culture, not just cash out.”
And it seems like they achieved just that. The Bored Ape Yacht Club has become a cultural phenomenon, with celebrities and everyday people alike clamoring to get their hands on one of these digital apes.
The celebrities that have “endorsed” and own Bored Apes NFTs are: Shaquille O’Neal, Eminem, Paris Hilton, Post Malone, Mark Cuban, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Stephen Curry, and others. It is well known that integrating celebrities in anything can increase interest—and pricing.
Due to this prominent celebrity endorsement, Bored Apes have developed into a status symbol; similar to a digital Veblen item, the more expensive one is, the more people desire to own one. The attention that the project has received has resulted in a snowball effect, with more and more people wanting to get their hands on an ape.
With the help of some very famous friends, the Bored Ape Yacht Club has taken the internet by storm. If you’re looking to join the craze, be prepared to shell out some serious cash. But trust us, it’ll be worth it. After all, these digital apes are one-of-a-kind collectibles that are sure to only go up in value.
Hi, my name is Brandan Henry, and I’m an NFT, Blockchain, and Research enthusiast, as well as a content writer for NFT-onomics. I’m deeply passionate about exploring the potential of NFTs and blockchain technology. My mission is to educate people on the capabilities of non-fungible tokens and their applications. I stay up-to-date with the latest NFT news and trends, and as a full-time writer, I excel at generating creative, out-of-the-box ideas surrounding NFTs.