Crypto Gloss

mfers

mfers is a collection of 10,021 stick figure character NFTs on Ethereum, launched by pseudonymous artist Sartoshi in November 2021 as a free mint (gas only) with CC0 licensing, no roadmap, no Discord server, and no promises — embodying the “mfer” (person who just vibes) archetype as an anti-hype counterculture statement that paradoxically made mfers one of the most culturally authentic and beloved NFT communities.

The Collection

Attribute Detail
Supply 10,021 NFTs
Blockchain Ethereum
Launch November 2021
Mint price Free (gas only)
Creator Sartoshi (pseudonymous)
Licensing CC0 (full public domain)

Each mfer is a simple stick figure character in various poses and settings:

  • Smoking a cigarette (the iconic pose)
  • Wearing various hats, headphones, outfits
  • Holding phones or gaming devices
  • Various color backgrounds
  • Simple, sketch-style black line art

The art is deliberately lowbrow and minimal — the aesthetic statement is that you don’t need polished art to build a community.

Sartoshi

Sartoshi is the pseudonymous creator of mfers. In May 2022, Sartoshi did the unprecedented:

  • Sartoshi “left” the project: Posted a farewell, transferred control to the community, burned their own mfer NFT
  • The community became fully self-governing
  • Sartoshi’s NFT #6969 was burned as a symbolic handoff

This was interpreted as:

  • A genuine embrace of CC0 decentralization
  • The project’s next evolution — it belongs to everyone now
  • A dramatic community test (would mfers survive without a founder?)

mfers survived and continued as a community-run project.

CC0 and the “mfer” Philosophy

mfers is CC0, which means:

  • Anyone can use the artwork commercially
  • Anyone can create derivative collections
  • Anyone can sell mfer merchandise
  • No permission needed from Sartoshi or the DAO

The “mfer” character has become a standalone meme and archetype beyond the NFT collection:

  • The stick figure smoking is a universal crypto/internet culture image
  • “mfer” is common slang in crypto culture
  • Derivative mfer collections proliferated (a community-built ecosystem)

Community

Despite no roadmap or official team, mfers built one of the most authentic NFT communities:

  • Community-organized events and meetups
  • Community-funded projects and derivatives
  • The “mfer way”: no hype, no promises, just vibing

The mfer community explicitly rejected the typical NFT playbook of promises, roadmaps, and hype-driven marketing.

History

  • November 2021 — mfers launch as free mint; simple stick figures; no roadmap; CC0 from day one
  • 2022 — Floor rises during NFT bull market; mfers becomes a recognized blue chip alternative to more polished collections
  • May 2022 — Sartoshi posts farewell message; burns their own NFT; project becomes fully decentralized community
  • 2022 — Community continues without Sartoshi; proves mfers can sustain without a founder
  • 2023–2024 — mfers continues as an active, community-run CC0 project; the Sartoshi departure is studied as one of the most graceful founder exits in NFT history

Common Misconceptions

  • “mfers’ simple art means it’s low quality.” — The deliberate simplicity is the aesthetic choice. The stick figure smoking is one of the most recognizable NFT character designs in existence precisely because of its simplicity. Quality and complexity are not the same.
  • “Sartoshi abandoned mfers.” — The departure was a designed handoff, not an abandonment. Sartoshi explicitly framed it as giving the project to the community and burned their own NFT as a symbolic gesture.

Social Media Sentiment

  • X/Twitter: mfers is a beloved and authentic community; “mfer” is common crypto slang; the Sartoshi departure is frequently cited as an example of how to exit a project gracefully.
  • r/NFT: mfers is respected as an authentic, anti-hype project; the community-run model is cited positively.
  • CC0 community: mfers is one of the canonical CC0 projects alongside Nouns and CryptoPunks.

Last updated: 2026-04

Related Terms

See Also

  • CC0 NFT — the licensing model mfers exemplifies; mfers is one of the most cited CC0 NFT success stories
  • Free Mint — the mint model mfers used; alongside Goblintown, mfers helped establish the free mint as a legitimate (sometimes superior) launch model
  • Nouns — the other foundational CC0 NFT project; comparing Nouns (structured DAO) vs. mfers (organic community) shows different CC0 approaches

Sources