Main image via Know Your Meme
If you love memes, you’ll definitely know who the “Disaster Girl” is.
Zoë Roth, the girl behind the iconic meme, is all grown up now and has sold her viral meme for RM2 million!
via GIPHY
When Zoë was just four-years-old, her dad Dave, took her to see a controlled fire – a fire intentionally started to clear a property - in their neighbourhood and managed to capture the iconic moment his daughter turned around to give him a mischevious smirk.
Since the incident took place in January 2005, the image has gone viral and become a well-loved meme.
Dave, an amateur photographer, won a photography prize in 2008 for his capture and after the image was posted online, many started using the image in memes.
Image via Know Your Meme
Now at 21-years-old, Zoë has put her fame to good use by selling the original photograph at an auction as a non-fungible token (NFT) for $473,000 (RM1.9 million).
The university student sold the original copy of the meme as a NFT for 180 Ethereum, a form of cryptocurrency, to a collector named @3FMusic.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, an NFT is a unique digital token that is encrypted with an artist’s signature, which verifies its ownership and is permanently attached to the piece. This allows original versions of the popular online content – such as viral memes and tweets – to be sold as if they were physical pieces of art.
The NFT is marked with a code that will allow Zoë’s family to keep the copyright of the image and receive 10% of the profits from future sales.
Image via Know Your Meme
Ever since the image went viral, Zoë shared that she enjoyed seeing the hundreds of versions of her picture that the internet has created.
“You just make it fit however you want to fit it,” the Disaster Girl told the New York Times. “I love seeing them because I’d never make any of them myself, but I love seeing how creative people are.
Zoë shared that she would donate the proceeds from the sale to charities and pay off her students loans as well.
“People who are in memes and go viral is one thing, but just the way the internet has held on to my picture and kept it viral, kept it relevant, is so crazy to me,” she said. “I’m super grateful for the entire experience.”
Image via Know Your Meme
We definitely love all the different versions of Disaster Girl memes we’ve come across!
What’s your favourite version of the iconic meme? Share it with us!
Info via BBC