TL;DR: With a new update or NFT collection being released almost every day, it’s clear the crypto ecosystem is constantly evolving. MFers is one of the NFT collections paving the road to the digital universe — but it’s just the beginning. Knowing what brought it here and why it was created will lead you to make better decisions when investing or simply interacting with MFers.
In this article, we’re gonna dive into the MFers lore, answer all the MFers related questions and even more. Prepare yourself for a fantasy story and a journey to the future of MFers!
What is MFers?
MFers is an NFT collection of 10,021 stick figurines that live on the Ethereum blockchain.
Think of this picture: a father, donned in a jazz hat, gently nudges the door, turning to his son and starting at the computer. “Are you winning, son?” he asks, initiating a conversation echoing the aspirations of success and societal pressures. However, the son’s responses unveil a different narrative — subtly pessimistic, starkly real.
This very essence of subdued optimism forms the essence of mfers NFT collection. The brainchild of Sartoshi, mfers draws inspiration from the internet’s emblematic meme, “Are you winning, son?” This meme, where a stick-figure dad engages with his son lost in the world of screens, epitomizes the modern struggle — financially, emotionally, and artistically.
In a world fixated on the idea of perpetual triumph, mfers defies convention. It embraces the lurking “motherfucker” within each of us, challenging the notion of conformity and celebrating the unconventional. Whether an artist, a collector, an investor, or a gamer, we all navigate this digital expanse in our unique way.
Sartoshi envisions a world where we can choose our form of degeneration, liberating ourselves from societal expectations. In this realm, labels like “loser” lose their sting. Outside judgments hold no sway here — we stand unshackled, uncaring of the world’s opinions. In the realm of mfers, we proudly declare, “We don’t give a fuck!”
The NFT collection known as mfers, short for “motherfuckers,” is a series featuring 10,021 quirky little characters. These figures predominantly portray smoking individuals, characterized by their simplicity and artistry — crafted in the paint most likely.
In this collection, you’ll discover 21 rare NFTs, a departure from the usual mfers’ style. These special pieces pay homage to the Web3 culture. What sets them apart is their unique and unpredictable generation during the minting process. It adds a delightful element of surprise to the collection.
Owning an NFT is different than screenshotting a JPEG — just like holding an original Rembrandt is more valuable than owning a replica. As their name suggests, NFTs are non-fungible by design. This is different from digital tokens like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Fungible assets can be exchanged for another asset of the same type, much like BTC, ETH, or even fiat. NFTs, on the other hand, are unique assets where their ownership details are documented on the blockchain, ensuring digital scarcity and unique attributes for each asset.
But how exactly is digital scarcity being enforced?
The concept of NFTs first emerged in 2012 with the creation of Colored Coins, which could be used to represent real-world assets on the blockchain. However, Colored Coins only worked in a permitted environment, making it more similar to a database than anything else.
As the crypto industry became more popular, people have continued to experiment with the idea of a digitally scarce asset. This led to the creation of ERC-721 and ERC-1155.
The ERC-721 standard is like a set of rules for making NFTs. These actions help in making special tokens with their unique information, making them different from one another.
Behind the scenes, ERC-721 smart contracts keep a list of who owns which token, making it safe to pass tokens from one person to another. The contract also keeps count of how many tokens there are altogether and how many each person has.
As previously mentioned, MFers NFTs are secured by the Ethereum blockchain. Ownership and transaction history are publicly visible on the Ethereum blockchain along with other important info such as the NFT’s metadata.
Understanding how to access an NFT’s metadata is essential for holders to grasp the specifics of what they’re buying.
Metadata usually includes visual attributes like color, type, wearables, and so on. On the blockchain, it looks something like this:
MFers have their own set of traits that make up their uniqueness. These are 4.20 watch, background, beard, chin, eyes, hat over headphones, long hair, mouth, shirt, short hair, smoke, type.
Some traits are rarer than others, which makes a specific NFT stand out from the rest. For example, only 1,036 MFers with beards exist.
Rarity is one of the reasons why MFers fluctuate in price. For example, bearded MFers cost almost twice as shaved MFers.
The MFers NFT collection has been manually drawn. This means that out of the potential combinations, only 10,021 MFers will ever exist!
Besides the 10,000 standard MFers, Sartoshi has created 21 unique NFTs that stand out from the rest. Based on the same “are you winning, son?” theme, these NFTs portray the meme template with popular characters from Web3. The cheapest NFT from this rare NFT collection starts at 5 ETH.
What is the utility of MFers?
MFers make for an awesome avatar pic, but it’s also the gateway to the MFers community.
Unlike your average NFT project, owning the MFers comes with no perks or privilleges – it’s a cool avatar you can proudly show to your dad during bear market.
The only stated utility is that MFers holders can monetize their MFer as they wish.
As the MFers brand expands, the MFers community may create additional utility for the NFT, or not.
Who created MFers?
Mfers was created by an anonymous meme artist named Sartoshi. The origins of this digital persona trace back to Sartoshi's foray into the world of NFTs.
In March 2021, he began his journey into the realm of digital art on SuperRare, creating an account to explore this burgeoning domain. The need for a distinct identity arose—an homage to Satoshi and the digital currency realm. Thus, 'Sartoshi' was conceived. His profile picture began as the default anonymous image on SuperRare, and he commenced his collection of a few pieces.
Then, the narrative surged into a realm beyond.
Cryptopunks emerged as a defining element of his journey. Fascinated by what Larva Labs had crafted, especially without a clear roadmap, he acquired his first punk in April 2021—a mohawk punk with a cigarette. Sartoshi, in the form of a Cryptopunk, made its grand entry into the Twitterverse.
As he accumulated punks, he believed in their undervalued potential as speculative yet captivating assets. Once he tasted the ownership experience and realized there were only 10,000 in existence, he envisaged their prospective value down the line. Trading them seemed like a delightful prospect too. As summer transitioned into “jpg summer,” he actively engaged in buying and selling punks weekly, relishing every bid battle and interaction with fellow punk holders.
Amidst the crypto-art frenzy, Sartoshi, through his Twitter presence, shared jokes, memes, and shrewd observations, not only about the real world but also the eccentricities of the NFT realm. The exaggerated claims of newfound art miracles elicited playful jests—remarks like "omg, the art is amazing" countered with a whimsical analogy, reminding enthusiasts of their surroundings.
With a penchant for drawing cartoons, he presented his creations through tweets. Some struck a chord with his audience, prompting suggestions to mint them. Utilizing Foundation, he initiated the process, consistently setting the minimum reserve price at 0.1E. He frequently chose to donate half of the proceeds to GiveDirectly, a charity he deeply believed in, aiming to alleviate poverty—a cause that aligns with the transformative potential of the crypto space. Sartoshi also embraced colorful language, particularly 'motherf***er' and 'mfer', in his tweets. It felt liberating, carrying a positive tone, and he encouraged others to experience the exhilaration of using these phrases. Expressions like "gm mfer" became a staple in his repertoire. He even birthed a small cartoon character to utter these phrases, incorporating it into a 1/1 piece on Foundation.
While he possessed classical art training in painting and related domains, the cartoon style resonated perfectly with his experiences and endeavors, including the creation of memes centered around NFT life.
A defining moment arrived when he introduced a cigarette to the stick figure kid in the meme and adopted it as his profile picture, complete with his signature orange background. This stick figure, adorned with headphones and a hastily drawn cigarette, slouched in a chair with arms extended to the keyboard, was an embodiment of Sartoshi. All tweets stemmed from this character—a cheerful, smoking individual. Whether crafting memes, cracking jokes, or delving into the economics of NFTs, this character, depicted with a positive yet assertive aura, remained at the center. This was how Sartoshi appeared—engrossed in NFTs, sporting a digital cigarette, and narrating it all through tweets.
What if, deep down, we all harbor that spirited individual within us? We are, in our unique ways, enthusiasts navigating a burgeoning realm—be it artists, collectors, investors, gamers, teachers, or anyone else. What if an NFT collection could encapsulate that sentiment, enabling everyone to embrace their essence? This was the inspiration behind the "mfers" collection.
But what size should this collection be? Gmoney once opined that 10,000 collections, like punks and Bored Apes, could resonate well, fostering a vibrant community of owners. Thus, with this notion in mind, sketches for a 10,000-strong collection of "mfers" began to take shape.
The "mfers" had to maintain a specific look—stick figures. However, they couldn't be perceived as low effort; they needed intricate detailing with visible lines, allowing the artist's touch to shine through. Even when zoomed in, the strokes, including various opacities in line weights, needed to be discernible. It had to encapsulate that stick figure essence—nothing overly polished or overly computerized. Is the art "amazing"? Well, perhaps it's more on the side of being kinda sweet for those inclined. Could a six-year-old draw it? The verdict remains elusive—maybe they could draw Charlie Brown too.
Determining the structure of the "mfers" collection posed another challenge—traits and rarity. Drawing from Sartoshi's initial NFT fascination—the legendary cryptopunks—the types of "mfers" mirrored the punk types: mostly humans, then around 88 zombies, 24 apes, and 9 aliens. Notably, these numbers were approximate in "mfers" due to the random mint process, but they adhered to this weighted distribution. Paying homage to the original collection, iconic punk traits like hoodies, beanies, 3D glasses, and the like were included.
Additionally, after being deeply entrenched in the NFT world during the “jpg summer” of 2021, a tribute to several iconic NFTs at that juncture was integrated into the collection. This comprised 21 1/1 drawings, following a style similar to the "are you winning dad" meme, where a character warned against the dangers of NFTs, eventually transforming into one—depicting famed NFTs like bored apes, coolcats, cryptodickbutts, squiggles, ringers, nakamoto cards, beeple, and more.
However, executing the project impeccably necessitated expertise in development work. Sartoshi reached out to Richerd, who in turn directed him to colleagues at WestCoastNFT. An all-star team comprising individuals like Santana, Wei, Lim, and others, proficient in tech, was assembled to handle the Ethereum contract, minting functions, and related aspects, while Sartoshi focused on creating the art.
In the midst of crafting the collection, the concept of releasing NFTs as public domain (CC0 license) caught Sartoshi's attention, a realm where creators relinquish the copyright over the creation, permitting anyone to utilize it for various purposes while still retaining ownership of the original NFT. Inspired by this approach, "mfers" ventured into the grand experiment of web3, embracing the evolving landscape.
After an extensive back-and-forth with Santana at WestCoast, comprising about 6969 messages, the "mfers" project was poised for its launch on November 30, 2021. The mint price was deliberately set at 0.069 ETH – how edgelord. Sartoshi first unveiled the project to the public through a tweet a day before the mint, sharing a link to the minting page at mfers.art. There were no whitelists, no honoraries, no paid promotions—just a raw introduction to the world.
When the site went live at 4:20 PM, the response was swift and overwhelming. The "mfers" collection sold out within minutes, a testament to the anticipation and excitement in the community for what "mfers" could represent.
On April 7, 2022, mfers were trading at an ATH of 3.2 ETH per art piece and generated a trading volume of 193 ETH. Over the next few months, the floor price of mfers gradually dropped.
The biggest catalyst to the fall of Mfers was Sartoshi leaving the project. On June 10, 2022, in a surprising turn of events, Sartoshi made a public announcement about his departure from the NFT space through a Tweet and a corresponding blog post. The blog post didn't delve into specific reasons for this departure but started with a series of tweets from various Twitter users predicting Sartoshi's exit, drawing parallels with Satoshi Nakamoto's mysterious disappearance.
The key focus of the blog post was to outline the procedural steps for transferring ownership of the "mfers" smart contract to its dedicated community of holders. Sartoshi laid out the plan to transfer ownership of the smart contract to the unofficial mfers multi-sig wallet, effectively handing control of the project to the original mfer holders.
Before he left, Sartoshi created one last collection called “End of Sartoshi.” The goodbye NFT colelction sold 16,996 copies in total, earning Sartoshi about 1,172.7 ETH, or a little under $2 million at the time.
After a prolonged absence and amidst swirling rumors suggesting a potential link to the Twitter account @MinisterOfNFTs, Sartoshi made a comeback to the NFT scene. The NFT artist reappeared on Twitter using the handle @Sartoshi_RIP. Additionally, in a blog post, Sartoshi clarified that the "End of Sartoshi" NFTs would serve as an ongoing pass granting access to claim NFTs from the top-ranking projects for free. This return marked a significant reemergence in the NFT community.
As of 2023, the Mfers have a floor price of around 0.5 ETH, and a daily trading volume that barely hovers around 10 ETH. Satorshi is not involved in the mfers project, as he stated from day 1.
Who is developing MFers now?
MFers is being maintained by a strong community of MFers holders. However, they do not have a formal governance structure in the way we are seeing in other NFT projects.
The envisioned world of “mfers” encapsulates a simple yet powerful idea — “we all mfers.” There were no hierarchical structures, rulers, or predefined roadmaps. “Mfers” are free to envision and construct whatever they can conceive with these stick figure embodiments. This lack of a defined path is intentional — the beauty lies in the uncertainty, in the vast possibilities that are yet to unfold. Moreover, in the early days, there was no official Discord channel. The “mfers” community independently formed an “officially unofficial Discord” that garnered thousands of members, all immersed in remarkable endeavors and collaborations.
Sartoshi deliberately chose not to be part of the Discord — “mfers” were intended to thrive without needing an overseeing figure. Sartoshi’s role, as perceived, was to amplify the best ideas and creations of mfer holders, extending their reach to broader audiences and providing added value when opportunities arose, including collaborations with artists for exclusive NFTs for mfer holders. This mindset continued after his departure.
And the “mfers” community indeed began building and expanding their horizons. A 3D mferverse materialized, complete with 3D mfers and upcoming tokenomics. “Mfers” merchandise, featuring mfer hoodies and hats, became tangible expressions of their identity. There were inventive derivatives like “mfers ahead” (front-facing), “dead mfers” (cool skull mfers), and “apemfers.” Collections of 1/1’s, such as “mfers in paradise,” surfaced, and countless other projects were set in motion. An “mfers” book, multiple “mfers” songs, Twitter spaces in Chinese uniting mfers from around the globe, and a burgeoning artistic landscape were just the tip of the iceberg.
All this creativity and innovation emerged within a mere two months since the inception of “mfers.” As the journey began, the mfer community showcased that their arms were reaching out not just to computers but also to piano keys, paintbrushes, beer cans, car steering wheels, spaceships, poker tables, and everything else that mfers engage within their unique and diverse pursuits.
Investors are also an important component of any NFT ecosystem. Although they don’t get involved directly in the governance of the project, they do exert an influence over the brand’s expansion into the mainstream. As of 2023, mfers haven’t raised any strategic funding, and they don’t plan on doing so anytime soon.
The unofficial mfers community treasury is secured by a Gnosis-safe multi-sig system, secured by 5 signers. The community treasury is used for funding MFers meetups at events such as NFT.NYC.
The mfers unofficial official community is somewhat secluded from the prying eyes. Their Discord channel is only open to the MFers holders. Their X account and unofficialmfers website remain the main sources of updates.
How does MFers make money?
Now, let’s get to the juicy part – how does MFers make money?💰 (No, flipping and rug pulling are not the correct answers)
The answer to this question is strongly related to intellectual property.
Think of popular trademarks such as Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, or Coca-Cola. Every time you see movies, books merch, or poster with them, know that the owners of the IP get a share of the profits. Same thing goes with the NFT holders, in theory.
When it comes to NFTs, it’s quite challenging to fit them into the traditional framework of copyright law. To give more context, owning an NFT doesn’t mean holders have automatic control over the creative work. This creative control needs to be granted by the creator.
As such, NFT holders should pay attention to what IP rights, if any, come with owning the NFT.
Sarotshi, the founder of MFers, has authorized the use of the IP of any individual's owned MFers. This means MFers holders have full commercial rights to the art in their owned wallets. There are no monetary limits on earnings on merchandise, derivatives or other commercial uses.
Another way of generating revenue is via royalties. As of 2023, MFers set the royalties at 5%, distributed as follows:
- 50% to the unofficial mfers multi-sig wallet
- 25% to the Sartoshi creator-royalty wallet
- 15% to westcoastnft (developer team)
- 10% to other mfers developers and consultants
This change in the royalty fee structure occrued with Sartoshi’s departure and hasn’t changed since.
The mission of MFers differs significantly from the typical trajectory of most NFT projects. Since its inception, Sartoshi deliberately maintained an open-ended development approach without establishing a clear direction, central authority, or an official Discord community. This deliberate lack of a defined roadmap or centralized control aligns with the fundamental concept that everyone involved in mfers is equal and possesses the ability to shape and contribute to the project based on their own creativity and ideas. This unique approach embraces a decentralized and collaborative spirit, allowing the community to collectively shape the future of mfers without predefined guidelines or hierarchies.
Where can I buy MFers?
You can buy MFers on OpenSea.