Animated Series Futurama Takes Characters to 'Doge City,' Mocks Crypto Miners
In its latest episode, which aired on Aug. 7 on streaming platform Hulu, the characters attempt to make money by selling thallium, a toxic metal used to mine crypto in the shows, to crypto miners in “Doge City.”
Aug 9, 2023 at 7:27 p.m. UTC
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Popular animated science fiction show Futurama gave a glimpse into what it thinks the future of crypto could look like in its latest episode called “How the West Was 101001” by mocking crypto miners.
The episode, which aired on Hulu on August 7, tells the story of a professor that informs his crew that he had borrowed money from the Robot Mafia, an organized crime syndicate, to invest in bitcoin (BTC), which later crashed and led the crew to go bankrupt. In the episode - set in 3023 - people are still mining bitcoin, which remains volatile even in the future.
It is argued to be inspired by the Western classic “How the West Was Won” which spends parts of it narrating how pioneers moved to the West to discover gold during the “Gold Rush” era. The number 101001, which in decimal is 81, was supposedly chosen as a reference to the 2018 bitcoin crash in which the cryptocurrency dropped as much as 81%.
As the story goes on, the crew tries to find new ways to make money, for example, by mining thallium, a toxic metal used to mine crypto, and selling it to the miners.
The show also jokes about the concerns frequently raised about the immense use of electricity for mining bitcoin. It features a “crypto country” called “Doge City,” named after the popular meme coin Dogecoin (DOGE).
“It’s pretty lawless out here in crypto country, so put on your protective headgear,” one of the characters said as they entered Doge City, possibly alluding to the fact that it appears to be an old-fashioned Western town due to the fact that the bitcoin mining computers use up all the electricity in the city or perhaps a jab at lack of oversight in the crypto sector that led to multiple hacks and bankruptcies in recent years.
Futurama is an American sitcom that was created in 1999 and follows the life of a Philip J. Fry, who came back to life on December 31, 2999, after being cryogenically preserved for 1000 years. The show has been canceled and rebooted several times and has recently premiered its 11th season on Hulu.
CORRECTION (Aug. 9, 2023, 22:11 UTC): Corrects the year that Philip J. Fry comes back to life in last paragraph.
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Helene is a New York-based reporter covering Wall Street, the rise of the spot bitcoin ETFs and crypto exchanges. She is also the co-host of CoinDesk's Markets Daily show. Helene is a graduate of New York University's business and economic reporting program and has appeared on CBS News, YahooFinance and Nasdaq TradeTalks. She holds BTC and ETH.