Doubloons Are a Cryptocurrency Trending on TikTok, but Why Are They Everywhere?

Anyone who has been on TikTok for a little while is likely no stranger to the many strange trends that have shown up on the platform over the years. The latest of those trends involves a cryptocurrency called doubloons, and it has totally bewildered those who are unfamiliar with the trend for good reason.

Doubloons are actually a form of currency that dates back hundreds of years to the time of the Spanish conquistadors, but this new cryptocurrency has fairly little to do with that history. Instead, these coins have started popping up on TikTok as a form of virtual currency that can be collected, stored in a virtual bank, and eventually exchanged for a number of different goods.

Although this currency itself may not seem all that confusing, the way it's been memed on TikTok has only baffled some users further. It seems there are cats on TikTok that can actually distribute doubloons to users as long as you follow the instructions in their videos. Ultimately, the cost of anything you may want to buy with your currency is also set by the cats, and it seems prices are rising as more users hop onto the trend.

It seems this doubloon trend on TikTok is not actually related to the cryptocurrency that it takes its name from. It doesn't seem like users are actually making any real money off this trend. Instead, it looks like many users are participating in this fictional economy for the meme. The goods that they're buying, like soup, are fake as well, but that seems to be part of the fun of it.

One TikTok user nicely breaks down the dizzying doubloon debacle.

While it may be unclear exactly what's going on with the trend on TikTok, there are some people who seem to be clear on the rules around this doubloon economy. Many other people who have stumbled on the trend, though, found it to be utterly perplexing.

"I thought everyone was joking about doubloons and just making pirate jokes. I didn’t know you actually got them from a game. I'm so confused," one user wrote.

"Why is there a TikTok trend where a cat is giving out and selling things for doubloons, why is it putting people in doubloon debt, why are there thieves stealing doubloons, where did doubloon cat come from and how did it get so big already," another added.

Sometimes, it's better not to question the strangeness that's happening on TikTok.

This particular trend has understandably confused many people, but if you don't understand it, you should probably just move on to something else. TikTok is meant to cater to a wide array of interests, which means that those who don't want to trade fictional currency back and forth can spend their time focused on something else instead. The doubloon craze may be huge, but don't feel bad if you just don't get it.