Chill Guy Meme Coin Price Drops Over 20% Amid Plagiarism Claims
Chill Guy (CHILLGUY) has seen a significant price drop of over 20% in the past 24 hours, falling from $0.21966 to $0.17240. This decline follows accusations on social media regarding the originality of the token’s mascot.
The meme coin gained popularity due to its mascot, but recent claims about its resemblance to a character named RELAXBOY from a Thai booklet have prompted some holders to sell. A Reddit user shared an image that sparked discussions about potential plagiarism, with allegations that the mascot may have been copied.
One Reddit commentator suggested that the image was part of a promotion for a rug pull scam and warned against trusting everything online, noting that scammers often create false narratives for financial gain. They clarified that "Just a Chill Guy" was created by Philip Banks and asserted that the image was Photoshopped from an original character in a Vietnamese children’s newspaper.
Creator Philip Banks Addresses the Controversy
Philip Banks, who claims to be the creator of the "Just a Chill Guy" meme, addressed the controversy on his X account. He stated that a Vietnamese children's magazine repurposed "CHILLGUY," leading to accusations against him. While he does not support the magazine's actions, he expressed no anger toward them and urged against harassment or using the situation as a pretext for racism. His statement included:
“oh yeah sorry, i don’t really use twitter much anymore but to keep you in the loop; vietnamese childrens magazine/newspaper repurposed cgwlkdgaf, now a bunch of smooth brain troglodytes are saying i stole it… btw I’m not mad at Học Trò Cười for repurposing chill guy (I mean, I’m not condoning it but it’s happened so much I’m not upset about it), I don’t want anyone harassing people or using it as an excuse for racism. I’m sure they never intended for this to happen lol”
Previously, Banks stated that he does not endorse the use of his art for crypto projects and has issued legal warnings to deter such usage.
Some users speculate that the booklet reference may have been generated using AI to create controversy and attract attention to the token. However, this speculation does not seem to be positively impacting the token’s price, which continues to decline alongside a trading volume drop of over 20% in the last 24 hours.