Iconic 'Doge' meme becomes most expensive meme NFT ever sold at $4 million

The meme, widely shared on the internet, had inspired the Dogecoin cryptocurrency. (Image: Shutterstock)

The extremely popular "Doge" meme, an image of a Shiba Inu, has been sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) for $4 million.

The auction winner, whose Twitter handle is @pleasrdao, placed a bid for 1,696.9 of the cryptocurrency Ethereum, NBC News reported citing auction site Zora.

The report said that it had become the most expensive meme NFT ever sold.

The meme, widely shared on the internet, inspired the Dogecoin cryptocurrency.

Also read - Explained: After Bitcoin and other cryptos, now comes NFT

"We're so happy to be a part of this milestone in internet history. If any meme deserved to be the new meme NFT record holder, it's Doge," said Don Caldwell, editor-in-chief of the internet meme database Know Your Meme.

Atsuko Sato, the owner of Kabosu - the dog in the image, put up the meme for auction on June 8.

A part of the proceeds from the NFT sale will go towards a number of charities, such as the Japanese Red Cross Society and the World Food Programme, NBC News reported.