Turbo Toad
This article is about the internet meme. For the original Solana memecoin, see Turbo ($TURBO).
Turbo Toad space helmeted cartoon toad born from an experiment in which an artist let an AI design a meme coin on a shoestring budget.
Origin
In April 2023, Melbourne based artist Rhett Mankind set out to test whether a chatbot could invent a successful meme coin. He asked an AI model to plan a token from scratch using only about 69 dollars, and followed its guidance on the concept, the name, the supply, and the launch. The AI proposed a frog themed mascot, and Mankind rendered the resulting orange toad wearing a space helmet using an AI image generator, giving the project its distinctive look.
Spread
The story of a meme coin essentially designed by a machine caught fire quickly, becoming a talking point about what generative AI could produce. Within a couple of weeks the token behind the toad had climbed to a market value in the tens of millions of dollars, and the novelty attracted attention from high profile figures in art and technology. The frog itself, cheerful and cosmic, became a recognizable character independent of the launch story.
Legacy
Turbo Toad stands as one of the first widely known examples of an AI conceived meme mascot, a proof of concept that a chatbot and an image tool could spin up internet culture on demand. It helped kick off the wave of AI and crypto crossover narratives that defined the following market cycle.
The Chain Trail
The OG token for this meme is Turbo ($TURBO) on Ethereum, launched 2023-04.
Key facts
- Created in April 2023 by Melbourne artist Rhett Mankind
- Concept and launch plan were generated by an AI chatbot on a roughly 69 dollar budget
- Mascot is a space helmet wearing orange toad drawn with an AI image tool
- Reached tens of millions in value within about two weeks of launch
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The tokens that claim Turbo Toad
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 |  Turbo $TURBO | $0.000767 | -2.09% | $52.96M | $66.87K | Apr 24, 2023 |
Combined live market cap for Turbo Toad: $52.96M across 1 coin. Market data is live from DexScreener; figures are not investment 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.
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