Stonks
Stonks is the deliberate misspelling of 'stocks,' paired with the surreal bald 'Meme Man' character standing in front of a rising market chart. It became the internet's universal caption for financial decisions both brilliant and disastrous.
Origin
The image was posted on June 5, 2017 by the Facebook page Special Meme Fresh, placing the Meme Man character against a stock-market backdrop labeled 'STONKS.' The intentional misspelling was pure surreal humor, part of the wider Meme Man 'surreal meme' universe.
Spread
The picture spread through Reddit's r/Ooer in July 2017 and mutated over 2018 and 2019 into a catch-all reaction for bad money moves, spawning variants like 'I'll Take Your Entire Stock.' It became a staple of r/WallStreetBets and hit peak mainstream visibility during the January 2021 GameStop short squeeze.
Legacy
'Stonks' is now shorthand for the whole culture of retail speculation, applied ironically to any gain or loss. It is a foundational reference point for meme-stock and memecoin communities, where 'number go up' logic is the entire joke.
The Chain Trail
MemePedia tracks 1 Stonks memecoin across Solana.
Key facts
- Posted June 5, 2017 by the Facebook page Special Meme Fresh.
- Features the surreal 'Meme Man' character in front of a market chart.
- 'Stonks' is an intentional misspelling of 'stocks.'
- Became a staple reaction on r/WallStreetBets.
- Peaked in mainstream use during the 2021 GameStop short squeeze.
This is the card that shows up when you drop the link on X or in a group. Post it, screenshot it, or save the image.
The tokens that claim Stonks
Every token we can tie to this meme, and which contract appeared first. The original is marked OG; the rest arrived to ride the name.
| # | Coin | Price | 24h | Market Cap | Liquidity | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stonks $STNK | $5.31 | -4.60% | $3.09M | $239.54K | Nov 23, 2024 |
Combined live market cap for Stonks: $3.09M across 1 coin. Market data is live from DexScreener; figures are not investment advice.
The on-chain receipts for $STNK, pulled straight from the chain.
On-chain report
via helius · updated 1d agoHeld by the top 10 wallets.
- 1. 8397…abX69.78%
- 2. GpMZ…xFbL3.81%
- 3. 6G2T…5oB83.00%
- 4. GC2G…3bxU2.02%
- 5. 3agQ…apka2.01%
- 6. 4e8X…Sk5J1.98%
- 7. 2Pdm…rsWc1.86%
- 8. 8oQG…LxTR1.85%
- 9. BMdA…XPG51.74%
- 10. Dotf…BkgQ1.58%
- Deployment predates the scanned history — earliest date is a lower bound.
Facts pulled directly from the chain via Solscan-grade data. Not financial advice.
The deep investigation. Deployer and wallet maps, contract migrations, bundles, supply concentration, and every project that falsely claimed to be first, with archived sources and a full chronological record.
We don’t sell the truth. We sell the work it takes to find it. Commissioned research is coming soon, and conclusions always stay independent and evidence-based.