Ethereum Meme Coin Surge

Ethereum meme coin Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS) surged on Thursday after Elon Musk posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) in tribute to the fictional frog.

Musk showcased his office setup at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with a digitally patched painting displaying a screenshot of Kekius Maximus. Following this, the meme coin jumped 60%, reaching $0.03, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko.

Within the last 24 hours, KEKIUS rose nearly 72%, settling at a current price of $0.026.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 20, 2025

Kekius Maximus peaked at $0.40 in January when Musk made the frog his profile picture on X. However, its value plummeted when he reverted back to his usual image.

Musk’s longstanding affinity for Dogecoin is well-documented, yet his admiration for Kekius Maximus began only in December. He described an image of “Pepe the Frog Emperor” on X as “amazing” before adopting it as his profile picture.

In his post on Thursday, Musk referred to Kekius Maximus as a “late great” and linked to the song “Now We Are Free” by the Croatian duo 2Cellos. This somber melody was notably featured in the movie Gladiator, which starred Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman military commander.

Musk’s social media musings have historically influenced the prices of various meme coins, including CumRocket, linked to the disgraced FTX mogul Sam Bankman-Fried.

Additionally, Musk has claimed Kekius Maximus as his character’s name in the video game Path of Exile. Although he faced a setback when his character died, he later clarified that he reclaimed the name.

While Musk’s recent post didn’t mention video games directly, his desktop featured a substantial graphics card, typical in gaming setups.

Edited by Andrew Hayward