Many people are curious: how did Dogecoin (DOGE) go from an internet joke to a star in the cryptocurrency market? The story begins in December 2013.

**It all started as a joke**

At that time, Bitcoin was extremely popular, and the entire crypto community was discussing a "financial revolution." Software engineer Billy Markus and marketing professional Jackson Palmer saw this speculative craze and decided to create something satirical—combining the then-popular "Doge meme" (the Shiba Inu dog with colorful Comic Sans font images). They created Dogecoin. The initial idea was simple: to make a "fun, friendly" cryptocurrency that contrasted with Bitcoin’s seriousness.

**Technically a bit different**

Dogecoin is based on Litecoin’s code, using the Scrypt algorithm for mining, which is much simpler than Bitcoin’s SHA-256. This means ordinary people can participate using their home computers. More importantly, its supply model is unlimited—50 billion coins are added each year. This design aims to prevent deflation and encourage real circulation rather than hoarding. Coupled with its very low price per coin, it’s naturally suited for community tipping and small transactions.

**From a joke to a phenomenon**

No one expected that this "satirical project" would attract a large loyal following. The Dogecoin community is known for being "friendly and humorous," and the slogan "To the moon!" spread throughout the scene. Interestingly, the community started using it for charity—funding the Jamaican bobsled team for the Winter Olympics, digging wells in Kenya, and other grassroots charitable activities—giving Dogecoin unexpected popularity and credibility.

In 2014, the community even raised funds to sponsor NASCAR driver Josh Wise, printing the Dogecoin logo on his car—an unprecedented move at the time.

**Explosion in 2021**

If the previous years were a slow burn, 2021 was a full-blown explosion. Tesla CEO Elon Musk frequently endorsed it on social media, and retail investors on Reddit and other platforms fueled the hype. Dogecoin became a symbol of the "meme coin craze," with its price soaring sky-high.

**What’s the outlook now?**

Ironically, what started as a joke has evolved into a real crypto asset with practical use cases and a large community. But this also exposes its core issues—lack of technological innovation, heavy dependence on social media sentiment and celebrity influence, and extreme volatility akin to ocean waves. That’s why it remains highly controversial.

In any case, the story of Dogecoin itself is already legendary— from an internet meme to a darling of the trading world, this reversal is enough to be written into the history of cryptocurrency.