February 18, 2013 (1 BTC = $26)

Bitcoin subreddit moderator /u/theymos created a thread asking the community to submit ideas for a Reddit ad for /r/bitcoin. Within an hour of the request, /u/mavensbot introduced to the world an MS Paint drawing of the Magic Internet Money Wizard. Little did they know the influence it would soon have in not only growing the subreddit and becoming the most popular Reddit ad ever, but also being one of the key factors in Bitcoin reaching a valuation of over $1000.

First draft of the Reddit Ad.

Final submitted version.

Why use MS Paint? Was he being lazy and not taking the matter seriously? Shouldn’t he have used Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign instead and followed one of the countless design tips that creatives and agencies live by? F*** no! If you were to hire a marketing agency with a team of graphic designers and task them of creating an ad to promote the subreddit, the results would have been no where near what he created. You would have probably gotten an overly thought out abstract concept. Billed a 5 figure sum. And then spent the next 2 months trying to convince yourself that the ad was a success.

November 6, 2013 (1 BTC = $287)

The Magic Internet Money Reddit ad goes live. The subreddit at the time had ~56k subscribers.

/r/bitcoin ad as seen on Reddit’s front page.

The pure simplistic design of the ad caught the eye of the Reddit users visiting the front page of the internet and peaked their curiosity. Traffic to the subreddit page grew. People educated themselves on this decentralized currency, saw the benefits, and began investing in it. By the end of the day, Bitcoin value reached over $300.

November 9, 2013 (1 BTC = $325)

South Park’s art department drafts their hand drawn flyer of Cartman, the Wizard King, that was to be used in episode 7 of season 17 titled Black Friday.

November 13, 2013 (1 BTC = $416)

The episode is aired and /r/Bitcoin users noticed that South Park paid homage to the Magic Internet Money ad.

Source: Comedy Central/South Park s17e07 Black Friday

Mere coincidence? I think not! Reddit was and still is one of the most popular websites in the USA. The chances that South Park’s creative team saw the ad and got inspired are very high.

Here is an in depth analysis and highly detailed comparison of both ads. The resemblance is uncanny.

In depth analysis and comparison.

November 29, 2013 (1 BTC = $1,132)

22 days after the ad was published, /r/bitcoin had ~74k subscribers, a 36% increase, and Bitcoin reaches a new record high. The world celebrates.