"Is Elon Musk's Starship hanging a banana?
Can $Banana become the next $Pnut?"
Yes, this is 100% not a joke.
This banana 🍌 is no longer just an ordinary fruit; it has become the embodiment of the classic internet meme "Banana for Scale." As the most eye-catching decoration on Musk's latest Starship S31, it will accompany SpaceX's continued success and become a spiritual totem for humanity's exploration of the universe.
If $pnut is a symbol of American spirit, then $Banana might serve as a cultural icon representing all of humanity.
TL;DR:
- **A banana on Starship is no joke.** Musk's latest Starship S31 is painted with a pixelated, smiling cartoon banana. As a symbol of the classic meme "Banana for Scale," this banana will fly into space during SpaceX's sixth test flight on November 19, becoming the first meme to venture into space and drawing global attention.
- **The origins and cultural diffusion of "Banana for Scale."** From a blogger's joke post to the 2008 hit "Peanut Butter Jelly Time," its explosion on social media in 2010, and endorsements by stars like Taylor Swift and Snoop Dogg, the banana has evolved into a global internet icon transcending regions and cultures.
- **Musk's humor and philosophy of scale.** Musk enjoys deconstructing serious matters with humor. "Banana for Scale" redefines the concept of scale in an absurd way, aligning perfectly with his pursuit of scalability and innovation in rockets, Tesla, batteries, and other projects.
- **$Banana: The next meme king?** $Banana is a new meme project based on the Solana blockchain, with a current market cap of only $30 million, far lower than meme leaders like $doge and $pnut. If successfully launched into space aboard the SpaceX rocket, $Banana could become a representative symbol of the fusion of meme culture and space exploration.
- **Meme funding and Musk's logic.** The value of memes lies in attention, and the world's biggest source of attention is Musk. Just as he propelled the rise of $doge and $shib, $Banana's potential is equally worth noting.
Drawing on a sociological research perspective, here is my comprehensive breakdown of $Banana and the cultural phenomenon of "Banana for Scale":
$Banana: "The First Meme to Fly into Space?"
SpaceX's sixth Starship test flight is scheduled for Tuesday, November 19th, at 4 PM local time in the United States (6 AM Singapore time on Wednesday, November 20th). However, this highly anticipated launch has unexpectedly found its center of attention thanks to a banana.
On November 12, 2024, SpaceX's official account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a photo of Starship S31, showing a pixelated, smiling cartoon banana—"Banana for Scale"—painted on the rocket's exterior. The banana, holding a real-life-scaled banana in its hand, humorously illustrates the "scale comparison between the largest rocket in history and a banana."
Link: [https://shop.spacex.com/](https://shop.spacex.com/)
Banana on Display: Musk's Special Touch
Even more intriguing is that this banana design has been placed in the most prominent position on the Starship, ensuring it will be visible during the global livestream of the rocket's launch. As the first meme to venture into space, "Banana for Scale" is likely to spark a new wave of meme culture, drawing significant global attention and media coverage.
Why Is This Launch So Significant for SpaceX?
This isn’t just a “banana show.” Following multiple test flights in 2023 and 2024, this sixth test launch aims to further validate SpaceX’s giant metal arm system, designed to precisely catch rockets and achieve the ultimate goal of reusability.
This launch marks a critical step in SpaceX’s journey toward interstellar exploration, with Musk placing great emphasis on its success. On November 18, just one day before the launch, Musk changed his X profile picture to an image of a SpaceX rocket taking off, signaling his support and excitement for the mission.
The banana, serving as both a playful and cultural symbol, will accompany every milestone of humanity's space journey following this launch.
On November 18, Musk changed his X profile picture to a SpaceX rocket photo.
Banana Business: Musk's Next Big Move
On November 16, SpaceX’s official online store launched two banana-themed products: the "Banana for Scale" sticker and a banana plush toy (possibly the first plush product under Musk's merchandise lineup).
The vibrant banana yellow immediately stood out against the black-and-red color scheme of the store’s page, capturing fans’ enthusiasm. This is more than just a commercial experiment—it could become a crucial part of the narrative behind $Banana.
Link to the store: [https://shop.spacex.com/](https://shop.spacex.com/)
- Purchase link: [https://shop.spacex.com/collections/accessories/products/spacex-starship-flight-6-banana](https://shop.spacex.com/collections/accessories/products/spacex-starship-flight-6-banana)
From a humble fruit to a cosmic meme, the story of the banana has only just begun.
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Meme Origins: The Birth and Rise of “Banana for Scale”
The Early Days
"Banana for Scale," a classic internet meme, originated from a joke post by blogger Rock Dog Designs. While selling an old TV, lacking a measuring tape, he placed a banana next to the TV and captioned it “banana for scale.” This absurd measuring logic unexpectedly went viral, becoming a hot topic of online humor.
Early Hits: *Peanut Butter Jelly Time*
In 2008, the humorous elements of "Banana for Scale" gained further momentum. The viral song *Peanut Butter Jelly Time* featured a cartoon banana as its main character. The banana, wearing sunglasses, danced wildly to the beat, its exaggerated moves evoking laughter everywhere. This animated clip became a sensation, garnering 220 million views, 1 million likes, and 70,000 comments on YouTube, cementing its place as a foundational banana meme.
Blossoming Popularity: Social Media and Celebrity Craze
Around 2010, "Banana for Scale" entered a second wave of popularity on American social media. Users began creating humorous images using bananas as a “universal ruler”:
- Found a treasure? Compare its size with 🍌.
- Got a new pet? Measure its height with 🍌.
- Met a celebrity? 🍌 is a must-have for the photo.
- Even documenting a child’s growth often included 🍌 as a measuring stick.
This absurd yet universal humor turned the banana into a ubiquitous symbol in internet culture.
Celebrities and the Banana Meme
"Banana for Scale" also captivated numerous celebrities:
- Taylor Swift said the "dancing banana" helped her relax and inspired her creative process.
- Snoop Dogg called it “one of the craziest yet most addictive things ever.”
- Justin Bieber imitated the banana dance during a YouTube livestream, driving fans wild.
From Internet Joke to Cultural Icon
What started as a joke, then evolved into a viral song and social media craze, has now reached new heights aboard SpaceX’s Starship. “Banana for Scale” has grown from a simple meme to a symbol of internet culture, transcending geography and language. It even holds the potential to unlock the meme economy.
By placing a banana 🍌 on Starship, Musk may be paying homage to this legendary internet joke. From Earth to space, the banana's journey is far from over.
Musk and the Banana: A Story Worth Telling
Pure Coincidence? Interestingly, bananas are also used as rewards for monkeys completing tasks in Neuralink's brain-computer interface projects. Could bananas be driving a brain-machine revolution too? :)
A Devoted Fan of Internet Culture
As a die-hard fan of internet culture, Musk’s fondness for the "Banana for Scale" meme runs deep.
From banana-themed rocket designs and Tesla stickers to SpaceX banana plush toys, and even Neuralink’s banana rewards for monkeys, the banana 🍌 appears frequently in Musk's business matrix, becoming a key element.
The Humorous Scientist: Using Bananas to Deconstruct Seriousness
Musk has a knack for diffusing complex technological topics with humor, and “Banana for Scale” perfectly embodies this playful style. As an engineer and scientist, Musk has a unique sensitivity to the concept of scale, and using a banana as a measuring tool humorously redefines people's understanding of measurement and data.
This meme's charm lies in making serious measurement fun, dissolving the complexity of serious matters in the most everyday way possible.
An Obsession with Scale: Musk’s Technological Philosophy
From rockets to electric cars to energy storage, Musk’s every project revolves around the concept of “scale”:
- **Tesla**: Revolutionized global transportation, turning renewable energy from a niche option to a scalable reality.
- **SpaceX**: By reusing rockets, it turned "sending humans to Mars" from sci-fi into a quantifiable engineering goal.
- **Neuralink**: Explores the fusion of human brains and computers, extending the boundaries of human potential to entirely new dimensions.
"Banana for Scale" humorously reminds people to grasp the scale complexity and the hidden ingenuity behind these grand goals.
Final Thoughts on $Banana’s Potential
Key Reminders
- $Banana refers to *Banana for Scale*, a new meme project on the Solana blockchain. It is currently tradable on DEX platforms like Jupiter, Raydium, and Pump.fun, or CEX platforms like AscendEX, LBank, and CoinEx.
- $Banana’s CA: **FuQASH8ps9NPeDu4h3rVtMBygKYoSiSTZ4uSiA5tpump**
- It is distinct from $BAN (a meme token for auctioning art) and the Banana Gun bot ecosystem’s $BANANA.
Meme Titans to Watch
Every great meme has its own compelling story. Recent meme leaders include:
- **$ACT**: AI + meme leader with a peak market cap of $1 billion, now listed on Binance.
- **$Pnut**: Political + meme leader with a peak market cap of $2.5 billion, also listed on Binance.
As the Universe + Meme leader, $Banana’s market cap currently stands at around $30 million (as of writing), still in its early discovery phase.
Musk's meme token logic is simple: meme tokens are about attention, and Musk commands the world’s greatest attention.
With a market cap of $50 billion, $doge soared thanks to Musk’s endorsements. The $15 billion rise of $shib also strongly correlated with Musk.
Bold Imaginations
Could BANANA’s future hold:
- **A new interstellar organization**: Beyond All Normal Astronautical Norms Alliance?
- **A fusion of aerospace technology and internet culture**: Beyond All Normal And Naughty Aspirations?
If BANANA successfully flies into space aboard SpaceX’s S31 rocket, it won’t just be a fruit or meme—it will become a symbol of humanity’s culture and exploratory spirit.
Even in serious scientific endeavors, humor and fun remain indispensable.
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🍌 A simple banana, seemingly ordinary, embodies human humor, imagination, and creativity. From internet jokes to spaceflight, it represents both entertainment’s peak and a symbol of the future.
🍌 At the edge of the universe, perhaps what we need is not just technology but the optimism of a banana.
🚀 Let’s look forward to SpaceX’s launch in two days and to more exciting journeys of cosmic exploration!
- **Launch time**: November 19, Tuesday, 4 PM (U.S. local time) / November 20, Wednesday, 6 AM (Beijing time).
