If you’ve been on Telegram recently, you’ve probably seen it — that little bouncing coin daring you to tap it. Looks like just a fun game, right? In reality, it’s Notcoin — a simple idea that turned into one of the biggest ways people have joined the world of crypto.

It started as a side project inside the TON (The Open Network) ecosystem. The goal was simple:

🔹Make crypto fun

🔹 Make it super easy to start

🔹 Remove all the usual barriers (no seed phrases, no extra apps, no complicated setups)

All you needed was Telegram — something millions of people already use.

When it launched for everyone on January 1, 2024, over 5 million people were already playing within the first week. No ads. No big marketing push. Just word of mouth and the fun of tapping that coin.

Why It Blew Up

1. No crypto knowledge needed — Anyone could play, even if they’d never heard of blockchain.

2. No extra downloads — It was all inside Telegram, so there was zero friction to join.

The game was simple: tap the coin to “mine” Notcoins, watch your energy bar, and unlock boosts to earn faster. You could invite friends, join teams, and complete small tasks for extra rewards.

Then the Big Surprise

Those game coins weren’t just for fun. They could be swapped for $NOT — a real cryptocurrency on the TON blockchain. When NOT launched in May 2024, players could turn their in-game coins into real tokens. Nearly 80% of the supply went to players — not VCs or private investors.

Major exchanges like Binance, OKX, and Bybit listed $NOT right away. Some casual players discovered their tapping had earned them hundreds, even thousands, of dollars.

The Impact

By mid-2024, over 35 million people had played. For many, it was their first-ever crypto experience — without the scary learning curve. They had unknowingly set up a TON wallet, learned to check balances, and understood how tokens worked.

It was blockchain education disguised as a mobile game.

The Next Chapter

When the excitement of tapping started to fade, the team pivoted. They launched Not Games — a connected gaming world inside Telegram where $NOT will be the currency across multiple games. Players will get profiles, inventories, tournaments, and rewards that carry over from one game to another.

The aim? Turn Notcoin from a one-time fad into the “Arcade of Web3.”

The Lesson

Notcoin proved something powerful:

To get people into crypto, don’t lecture — play. Remove the friction, meet them where they already are, and make it fun.

Millions crossed into Web3 without even noticing. All it took was a bouncing coin and a few taps.

@The Notcoin Official #Notcoin #NOT🔥🔥🔥 #GregLens #CreatorPadChallenge