The viral pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng will turn one next week — and cryptocurrency enthusiasts are boosting her unofficial memecoin on Solana.

The Moo Deng memecoin, based on Solana, is surging by 32.9%, reaching a market value of $183 million this Thursday (3), according to the website CoinGecko. The rise comes after the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand revealed plans for the anniversary of the famous baby hippopotamus next week.

The zoo, located in Thailand, will host a three-day event next week, including a Moo Deng-themed art exhibition, a photo gallery, and a parade featuring animal mascots. The zoo will also present Moo Deng with a giant cake on her birthday, June 10, when she will turn one year old.

The pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng captured the hearts of the internet from a zoo in Thailand last September, thanks to a series of adorable photos and videos. At just two months old at the time, Moo Deng became such a sensation that her enclosure was crowded since the zoo opened, with tourists traveling from afar to see the memecoin star up close.

As a result, an unofficial memecoin with the same name, created on Solana, quickly surged, reaching a market value of $336 million in September, according to DEX Screener, before dropping by 81%, falling to $63 million the following month.

Moo Deng's season, however, was not over yet: the token surged by 1,004%, reaching $702.85 million in mid-November 2024, driven, among other factors, by a listing on Binance.

Subsequently, Moo Deng fell by 94%, reaching $39 million as interest in the adorable hippo waned, before recording a recovery of 718%, rising to $320 million — from which it fell by 58%, reaching $135 million.

The new surge occurs as the internet shows renewed interest in Moo Deng, with her birthday approaching. On Thursday, a content creator about Moo Deng claimed that the U.S. embassy in Thailand sent a gift to the adorable hippo, but the zoo has not yet opened the package.

It is worth noting that other Moo Deng tokens were not as affected by the news: the token on Ethereum only rose by 5.6%, reaching $11.8 million in market value. Similarly, the Sudeng token, based on Sui, saw a 13.9% increase, reaching $18.9 million.