Where cryptocurrencies are mentioned

To recap, we’re talking about a commercial for cryptocurrency platform Crypto-com, which was released in October 2021. In it, Matt Damon proves that “fortune loves the brave”, with users of digital assets being just that.

Damon’s original commercial was received with mixed reviews in the crypto community. Some rightly pointed out that the Crypto.com ad obsessively encourages investors to invest in digital assets right now, while Damon himself compares crypto investors to Arctic explorers, astronauts and the Wright Brothers.

Outside of the cryptocurrency community, things have been even worse. For example, The Guardian’s Carol Cadwalladr for some reason saw the ad as a “Ponzi scheme”. Apparently, she is very far removed from the world of cryptocurrencies and doesn’t understand their benefits. However, that didn’t stop her from sharing her own opinion, which barely overlaps with reality.

There isn’t enough yuck in the world to describe Matt Damon promoting a Ponzi scheme.

Now, there’s clearly a reference to this commercial in a recent episode of South Park. Only here Damon’s character is not promoting crypto, but urine. He does so with the following quote.

We are living in a severe drought. We simply have no choice anymore. We have to find alternative sources of water. Hi, I’m Matt Damon. You’ve heard me talk about the wonders of cryptocurrencies, and now there’s a company that can give us this new source of water: Pipi Water!

Here’s another clip of Matt trying a paste with said water.

The final part uses urine in conjunction with a burger.

Apparently, the makers of the cartoon are jokingly implying that Matt is willing to promote anything. And this context is complemented by the state of the cryptocurrency market today. Right now, many coins are 70-90 percent off their all-time highs. Naturally, newcomers have reason to be angry about the cryptocurrency platform ads released a few months ago, as it was the one that could have attracted their attention to the market and convinced them to invest.

According to Decrypt’s sources, Witherspoon was also subjected to satire mentioning crypto. Here’s how she was voiced in the episode.

I’m Reese Witherspoon. I think cryptocurrencies are a great idea, but there’s one investment that’s even smarter. That’s why, when my family entertains with holiday games, we do it in pee.

Crypto wasn’t previously mentioned in South Park until 2021 in an episode called ‘Post COVID’. The mention, by the way, was also with a satirical undertone – the show’s creators hinted that cryptocurrencies are very “similar” to pyramid schemes.

Read also: CNBC host says cryptocurrency collapse continues. Why doesn't the blockchain community believe him?

Be that as it may, mentioning crypto in any vein could play into its popularity. So far, many experts, even despite the current bearish trend, are talking about the huge long-term prospects for the crypto market. In particular, analysts at consulting firm Verified Market Research (VMR) published a report the day before saying that the unique token sphere will grow in capitalization to $231 billion by 2031.

To date, the market for NFT tokens and their collections has been valued at $11.3 billion. VMR predicts that the unique token sector will grow at an average of 33.7 per cent a year over the next eight years, according to Cointelegraph. A key trigger for the popularisation of NFTs will be their use in various industries and everyday life, experts believe.

Top 5 popular NFT collections on OpenSea

For now, the key application of NFTs remains the gamming sphere. The VMR report mentions startup Enjin as the first project to combine blockchain technology with a gaming platform to launch its own ENJ token. Another important aspect of the gaming sector is the popularisation of the Play-to-Earn model, which allows players to earn crypto directly from gameplay. The Axie Infinity platform has been very successful in this.

Another very popular application for NFT is in sports and everything related to it. We are talking about collectibles, monetization of sports events and so on. Here, the NBA Top Shot platform has quickly become a popular marketplace for trading unique sports-related tokens.

However, not all cryptocurrency platforms are doing well. In particular, representatives of top NFT platform OpenSea announced yesterday that it had laid off 20 percent of its staff. As the head of the company Devin Finzer said, the reason for the changes in the staff was a combination of cryptozyme and macroeconomic instability in the world. Well, with the staff cuts, they want to prepare for a possible scenario of a protracted crisis.

Buying tokens on OpenSea

As Finzer pointed out, the current actions will allow OpenSea to exist for at least another five years at current trading volumes.


We don't think this criticism of the cryptocurrency industry is particularly well deserved: after all, many markets are in decline today. Consequently, it is not just bitcoins and other coins that could lose money. Whatever the case may be, this event in any case confirms the growing popularity of digital assets and their development in the context of the world. And another mention of coins - even indirectly - is never superfluous.