ALPACAS — Bitcoin's First Mascot

Contract Address 3RabpBEybbRi7xk4Z8rwiPLTkQMnTwm8PD39Ngt1wep1

2011

Year It All Began

75 BTC

Original Sock Price

$5M+

Those Socks Worth Today

Bitcoin's Unofficial Mascot

The Origin

Before There Was Doge, There Was an Alpaca

In February 2011, Bitcoin could buy almost nothing. Then a small family farm in Massachusetts changed everything. Grass Hill Alpacas, convinced by their son David Forster, became one of the first merchants to accept Bitcoin — selling wooly alpaca socks for 75 BTC a pair.

Word spread instantly across Slashdot and crypto forums. The farm sold out. Even Bitcoin's lead developer Gavin Andresen tweeted he'd bought a pair. From that moment, the alpaca became the community's unofficial mascot — the living proof that Bitcoin was real money for real things.

Read on Bitget

We are alpaca-sock-wearing crypto-terrorists.

— The Bitcoin Community, 2011 · In defiance of the U.S. Government

A Legend in the Making

The Alpaca Timeline

February 2011

The Slashdot Post That Started It All

A link to Grass Hill Alpacas farm in Haydenville, Massachusetts was shared on Slashdot — one of the first public mentions of what you could actually buy with Bitcoin. The farm sold out almost immediately. The internet asked: "Do alpacas really wear socks?"

March 2011

What is Bitcoin? Video Goes Viral

WeUseCoins.com released the animated "What is Bitcoin?" explainer on YouTube. Alpaca socks were featured as one of the things you could buy with Bitcoin — cementing the mascot status globally.

April 2011

Gavin Andresen Buys a Pair

Bitcoin's lead developer at the time, Gavin Andresen, tweeted that he'd had lunch with David and purchased wooly alpaca socks with Bitcoin. The alpaca had officially gone mainstream in crypto culture.

June 2011

Price Drops from 75 BTC to 5 BTC

Bitcoin's value had surged so dramatically that David had to slash the sock price from 75 BTC to just 5 BTC. Those original 75 BTC are worth over $5 million today. The most expensive socks in history.

2011

The Mascot Competition & The Song

A "Bounty for Bitcoin Mascot" drawing competition was announced. The alpaca dominated every submission. That same year, the iconic "Alpaca Socks" Bitcoin song hit YouTube, covering decentralization and crypto mining through a woolly lens.

2011 · Bernard von NotHaus Case

"Crypto Terrorists" — The Slogan is Born

When the U.S. DOJ labeled currency innovator Bernard von NotHaus a "domestic terrorist," the crypto community clapped back with one of history's greatest slogans: "We are alpaca-sock-wearing crypto-terrorists." The alpaca became a symbol of defiance.

May 2013

The Bitcoin Conference Appearance

Alpaca socks made a live appearance at the Bitcoin Conference in San Jose, CA during the famous "Bitcoin Kid" interview with Stefan Thomas of Ripple. The mascot was now conference canon.

Now

The Legend Lives on Solana

The original Bitcoin mascot is reborn as a Solana token. $ALPACAS carries the history, the culture, and the community that started it all — now on the fastest chain in the world.

Watch & Listen

The Alpaca on Screen

From the original "What is Bitcoin?" video to the legendary Alpaca Socks song — the alpaca has always been crypto's most entertaining character.

Bitcoin Conference 2013 — The "Bitcoin Kid" Alpaca Socks Interview

Alpaca Socks — The Bitcoin Song That Went Crypto-Viral

What is Bitcoin? — The Original Explainer That Featured Alpaca Socks

As Seen In

The Press Agrees

Bitget News

Alpacas: The Bitcoin Mascot That Helped Bring Recognition to Cryptocurrency

The alpaca became a sign of acceptance by the community that Bitcoin could be used for acquiring everyday items — proving its capabilities as a leading form of currency for the future.

Read on Bitget

CoinDesk · 2013

Alpacas: The Unofficial Mascot of Bitcoin

If a digital currency movement can be said to have a mascot, alpacas serve that role for Bitcoin, albeit unofficially. A 2011 Slashdot post and a farm in Massachusetts started it all.

Read on CoinDesk

Slashdot · Feb 10, 2011

Online-Only Currency Bitcoin Reaches Dollar Parity

The original post that ignited the alpaca legend — linking to Grass Hill Alpacas and asking the internet: what can you actually buy with Bitcoin? The answer changed history.

Read on Slashdot

Join the Herd

Get In. Stay Woolly.

Trade it, hold it, or just vibe with the most historically significant animal in crypto. The $ALPACAS community lives everywhere below.