Los Angeles, August 24, 2025 — Who would have thought that a former crypto pioneer would return in this way! Dogecoin (DOGE) co-founder Billy Markus was recently spotted selling hot dogs on the street at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, with a sign that exploded online: '1 DOGE = 1 hot dog', bringing the meme spirit into reality!
“1 DOGE for 1 hot dog”: not a business, but performance art.
Based on the current price of DOGE at about $0.12, one hot dog only costs $0.12, which is significantly cheaper than the usual $3-5 hot dogs on the market. But when Markus was interviewed, he hit the nail on the head: 'This is not business, it’s performance art! DOGE was originally a joke, and now I’m making a living off a joke, which is quite reasonable, right?'
The scene was packed with crypto enthusiasts, some specifically bringing DOGE to pay, and even some buying 10 at once just to experience the ritual of 'buying meme food with meme coins'. A fan shared a payment screenshot jokingly: 'Ten years ago, DOGE was a joke. Ten years later, using DOGE to buy hot dogs — this wave is nostalgia made real!'
Netizens are having a blast: from meme coins to 'hot dog chain', the creativity just won’t stop.
Once this news hit social media, netizens' meme DNA kicked in, and the comments section quickly turned into a joke fest:
“Dogecoin was originally a joke, and the founder selling hot dogs is also a joke. This is true decentralization — even the founder has 'decentralized' to the streets!”
“I suggest directly renaming it to HotDoge, issuing a new coin for funding, and it might be even hotter than DOGE!”
“Is the next step to launch hot dog NFTs? Documenting eaten hot dogs on-chain, promoting a 'physical + virtual dual meme'!”
Some have come up with the idea: 'What if we create a 'HotDog Chain' where gas fees are paid in hot dogs, and for every bite, a transaction is recorded on-chain, a perfect loop!'
From crypto pioneer to hot dog vendor: Markus's 'alternative return'.
Let's take it back to 2013, when Markus and Jackson Palmer created DOGE, originally to mock the ICO bubble. Unexpectedly, DOGE became one of the top ten cryptocurrencies by market value and was promoted multiple times by Musk. In 2021, Markus cashed out of DOGE and faded from the crypto scene, and now returns as a street vendor, almost like a satirical reflection on the industry.
He wrote a line on X (formerly Twitter) that resonated with many: 'Ten years later, DOGE is still alive, but I'm just a hot dog vendor. This might be the victory of decentralization.'
The market actually reacted: DOGE briefly rose by 5%, and analysts are making jokes and suggestions.
As soon as the news broke, DOGE's price immediately reacted — it rose about 5% in a short time, although it later fell back. Analysts couldn’t help but joke: 'This is the cheapest 'share buyback' in history! Using hot dogs to buy back DOGE, I suggest all project parties learn from this, low cost and it brings its own traffic!'
Currently, Markus hasn’t mentioned whether he wants to turn the hot dog stand into a chain, but netizens have spontaneously started the 'DogeHotDogChallenge', calling on DOGE holders worldwide to buy hot dogs with tokens and share their experience. Perhaps soon, buying hot dogs with DOGE on the streets will become a new trend?
