Frank Frank Frank, who is Frank?

Written by: 0x21, Rhythm BlockBeats

On April 7, a video of a polar bear walking went viral across major NFT communities. These polar bears have laser eyes, some wear Nouns glasses representing unique Web3 features, and there are cowboys, police officers, and elements commonly found in our lives. This seemingly "addictive" meme-type NFT has now reached a price of around 0.7 ETH. Its name is Frank, and today it has taken over social platforms like Twitter and Discord; today, we are all Frank.

In fact, Frank is not the real name of this polar bear, and its popularity certainly did not start today.

The official Twitter of Frank Frank NFT states, "If you are reading this text in the image, it means you have basically been in a coma for 20 years. We are trying a new technology, and we don't know where this message will eventually appear in your dreams, but we hope to get through this together with you."

A classic trope often used in countless science fiction novels tells us that if you recognize this polar bear, it means you are old enough. It seems absurd, but this polar bear has indeed existed for over 20 years, to be precise, 25 years.

The GIF of this polar bear first appeared on a website called Bear-Tracker.com, founded in 1997 by Kim A. Cabrera, an enthusiast tracking animal footprints and information. The purpose of the website was to share information about animal tracks in North America, especially bear tracks. It also included tips like "Where to look for tracks?", "How to track animals once you find their footprints?", and "Encyclopedia of Animal Tracks," among others.

As we scroll down the page, we see today's protagonist, "Frank." Some netizens claim that when the website was established in 1997, this polar bear walking GIF already appeared at the bottom of the site, making it 25 years old now.

Since then, this polar bear has become a common meme in various chat rooms and forums. In August 2016, shortly after the release of "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team," a YouTuber named GraysonM2001 discovered that the polar bear Frank walked in sync with the movements of reptilian Pokémon. He then posted a video of polar bear Frank walking on YouTube, accompanied by Pokémon background music, which garnered thousands of views. Since then, videos of polar bear Frank walking have been used as material in many popular videos.

On October 1, 2017, a YouTuber named Savage Doggo uploaded a video titled "10 Hours of Walking Polar Bear," which featured the polar bear Frank GIF, looped for 10 hours with a humorous track from the anime "Cowboy Bebop."

This "addictive" video has amassed over 6 million views on YouTube over the years, with more than 220,000 likes. The comments section is filled with "serious" remarks.

"I pause every 30 minutes to let the polar bear rest."

"I don't understand why anyone wouldn't like this video; the title is 'Walking Polar Bear for 10 Hours,' and the video is exactly that for 10 hours."

"This is the happiest 10 hours of my life."

The polar bear walking has become "philosophy," as people began to search for deeper meanings behind its walk. Some bid farewell to the polar bear at 9 minutes and 59 seconds into the video, others ponder how far the polar bear can walk in 10 hours, and some are curious why the polar bear walks so far. Thus, people's love for the polar bear has transcended mere meme status.

In 2018, AutisticYui collaborated with several meme video creators, including DitzyFlama, PatPat.mp4, StickFab, Parkas, and KobayashisEgo, to create the video "Bears, of The Collab Variety 2018." In the video, the polar bear dons gear and changes backgrounds, embarking on a thrilling adventure reminiscent of Zelda, overcoming numerous challenges, and ultimately achieving success.

In the 5-minute "roughly made" meme animation, the creators incorporated a Hollywood-style dramatic plot, where the polar bear, playing the "hero," encounters danger, faces failures, rises again, and ultimately realizes it was all just a dream.

The video "Bears, of The Collab Variety 2018" marked the first time the polar bear "wore" props and had a storyline. More and more different polar bear images began to emerge. Shortly after the video was released, a Reddit user named HMeindert posted two images of polar bears, one captioned: "I'm escaping from the police; please don't tell them I'm hiding here." The other caption read: "I'm pursuing a fugitive; please let me know if you see him."

Once HMeindert's post was made, a wave of polar bear role-playing surged on Reddit. Some people created scenarios based on the story of the fleeing polar bear, extending it creatively. More and more polar bears dressed in various props began to appear.

Each uniquely styled polar bear represents a different little story; some are police officers, some are lawyers, hiding in various corners of the world, representing each individual's different understanding and creativity regarding the polar bear.

The total of 2000 Frank Frank NFTs also originated from this, and we see the familiar police figure still mixed in. The polar bear has transformed from an inconspicuous GIF at the bottom of a website into a meme that has taken social media by storm, and now it finally has its own name, Frank.

What it has experienced is the historical evolution from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0. It was born in an era of the internet meant only for display, an inconspicuous decoration amidst dense information. It became popular due to Web 2.0, where barriers between people disappeared, and by chance, it stepped onto the global stage. Now people say, we are all Frank; the era of Web 3.0 is not just because it has become an NFT with a hefty price tag. Rather, Frank represents the people behind it; it carries past stories and is about to embrace future tales.

In the Frank Frank NFT series, we see that many polar bears have different walking speeds and frequencies, just like some felt the polar bear walked too slowly in the "10 Hours of Walking Polar Bear" video; now it has picked up the pace.