2007 Documentary Goes Viral! PENGUIN Meme Coin Twins, Binance Only Chooses One?

2007 Documentary “Encounter at the End of the World” Penguin Solo Clip Goes Viral on TikTok, Giving Rise to Two PENGUIN Meme Coins. Nietzschean Version Market Cap $60 million, Nihilist Version Only $600,000. The crypto community debates who Binance will choose, with the NEIRO precedent showing low market cap can make a comeback. Supporters of the Nihilist version believe that the name stays true to the original film, fewer holders align with the narrative of solitude, and low market cap benefits liquidity.

The Evolution from 2007 Documentary to 2026 Meme Coins

In 2007, a video recorded a penguin leaving its habitat, walking alone toward the distant icy mountains of Antarctica. Narrated by Werner Herzog, he named this penguin “Nihilist Penguin,” describing its behavior as unusual, solitary, and even philosophically tinged. The internet can recreate nostalgia and transform it into new cultural and economic narratives. Today, viral content is far more than entertainment; it can shape attention, behavior, and even spawn speculative products worth millions of dollars in value.

Nearly twenty years later, this footage reappeared on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and X. Online communities turned this scene into a symbol of choosing different paths and resisting conformity. By the mid-2010s, the video became widely known for its “nihilism” interpretation. In late August 2015, YouTube user Seppe uploaded the clip titled “Nihilist Penguin,” which quickly went viral, garnering nearly 2 million views to date.

As with the meme’s name “Nietzsche Penguin/Nihilist Penguin,” most related viral videos and memes include the keyword “But Why,” prompting people worldwide to question themselves—why must my life be like this? Society tells us to find a good job, marry, have children, and think less about meaningless or impractical things. But isn’t the meaning of life about exploring it in the way we desire?

They ask us why, but there is no why—it’s just what we want to do. Living authentically, ignoring societal judgments, is a form of transcendence. That symbolic moment has now crossed into the cryptocurrency realm, where two meme coins emerged from the same viral meme, but their trajectories are completely different.

Nietzschean vs Nihilist: $60 million vs $600,000

The Nietzschean PENGUIN was issued earlier and attracted speculators first. This early momentum helped it reach a market cap of about $60 million. The Nihilist PENGUIN continued with the original viral interpretation, taking a more low-key approach. It has fewer holders (like the original solitary penguin), lower trading activity, and a market cap close to $600,000.

However, in the crypto market, a higher market cap does not always determine which token is ultimately more important. It is well known that most crypto investors and projects prioritize one goal: getting listed on Binance. Listing on Binance often brings higher exposure, liquidity, and market attention. This has sparked increasing debate over which of the two penguin tokens Binance will ultimately choose (if any).

Similarly, NEIRO experienced a comparable situation: Binance eventually listed the lower-market-cap NEIRO spot token, indicating that initial scale is not always decisive. NEIRO’s case provides a strong precedent for low-market-cap versions. At that time, there were two NEIRO tokens: the higher-market-cap version had more holders and more active trading, but Binance ultimately chose the lower-market-cap version, citing community authenticity, development potential, and liquidity considerations.

The $60 million versus $600,000 market cap gap—100 times difference—makes the choice more dramatic. If Binance chooses Nietzschean PENGUIN, supporters of the higher-cap version win, but upside potential may be limited. If it chooses Nihilist PENGUIN, the low-cap version could surge by dozens or even hundreds of times, mirroring NEIRO’s comeback miracle.

Market speculators now face an interesting dilemma: bet on the safer, higher-market-cap version with limited gains, or on the riskier, lower-market-cap one with potentially staggering returns. A third strategy is holding both, profiting regardless of Binance’s choice, but this hedge dilutes returns.

Three Main Advantages of the Nihilist Version

So, why do nihilist penguin holders believe it might be the one chosen? Supporters of Nihilist Penguin point to several factors strengthening its position.

Original reference: “Nihilist Penguin” reflects Werner Herzog’s original description of the footage, whereas “Nietzsche Penguin” does not match the actual name Werner Herzog used for the penguin. This emphasizes the importance of naming authenticity. In the 2007 documentary, Herzog explicitly used the term “nihilism” to describe the penguin’s behavior, while “Nietzsche” is a later internet reinterpretation. From an intellectual property and cultural fidelity perspective, Nihilist PENGUIN aligns more closely with the original spirit.

More aligned with the narrative: With fewer holders, this token embodies its core idea—a solitary path away from the crowd (nihilism). This path may be difficult initially, but with faith, effort, and determination, it will eventually pay off. This argument reframes the market cap disadvantage as a narrative advantage. The penguin’s story is about choosing solitude; a token with fewer holders and lower trading volume better fits this “independent” spirit.

Market structure considerations: Lower market cap means lower costs for exchanges to provide liquidity. Holders believe that exchanges recognize that, regardless of initial valuation, meme tokens tend to expand rapidly after listing. This argument is based on exchange business logic: when Binance lists a token, it needs to buy a certain amount to provide liquidity. If the token’s market cap is too high, Binance must invest more capital. Lower market cap tokens have lower liquidity costs and greater explosive potential post-listing, possibly generating higher trading fee revenue for exchanges.

Philosophy and Investment Strategies of Meme Coin Speculation

For these reasons, some market participants—the nihilists—prefer lower-market-cap tokens, believing they can deliver higher returns, while others follow Nietzschean principles, choosing the more mature, higher-market-cap versions. Some prefer certainty and hold both, thinking that if Binance’s long-anticipated listing materializes, their investments could grow by an order of magnitude.

What started as a rediscovered documentary clip now influences real market behavior, reminding investors that in crypto, as in the original scene, the path of obscurity can sometimes lead the trend. The transformation from cultural content to financial product is one of the most fascinating aspects of meme coins. A 2007 documentary, a 2015 YouTube upload, and a 2026 TikTok revival ultimately gave rise to two digital assets with a combined market cap exceeding ![PENGUIN迷因幣爆紅]https://img-cdn.gateio.im/social/moments-87a9b3933a-b68d4250a8-8b7abd-e2c905.

This process reveals the essence of contemporary speculative culture: narrative-driven value, community consensus creation, and liquidity amplifying dreams. Regardless of their final fate, the PENGUIN meme coins have already proven one thing: in the crypto era, a good story can sometimes outweigh any fundamental analysis.