“Haliey Welch, the ‘Hawk Tuah’ sensation, launches her HAWK Token.”

Haliey Welch, the viral sensation behind the “hawk tuah” meme, has launched her official token on the Solana blockchain, joining a growing number of celebrities venturing into the world of crypto. Welch gained internet fame earlier this year when her “hawk tuah” onomatopoeia became a viral meme, catapulting her from an unknown figure to a household name.

In the latest development, Welch’s HAWK token went live on Solana-based exchanges at 22:00 UTC on Wednesday, in partnership with the token launchpad overHere. The launch followed a campaign where Welch distributed free tokens to her social media followers and NFT communities between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2. After its launch, the token briefly saw a market cap surge to $491 million, before falling below $100 million, according to CoinDesk data.

A statement provided to CoinDesk revealed that Welch will be unable to sell the tokens she received for one year, with the tokens vesting over the next three years. “Who doesn’t love a good meme?” Welch said. “Entering the world of crypto has been an exciting journey, and launching my own token is the next logical step—not just to build something meaningful for my fans, but also to protect my community from scam artists.”

HAWK is supported by a foundation based in the Cayman Islands, ensuring full legal compliance with U.S. regulations. The project raised funds from a group of private non-U.S. investors at an initial valuation of $34.5 million.

While celebrity tokens were briefly trendy within the Solana ecosystem earlier this year, with several tokens launched by niche media figures, most saw rapid declines, losing up to 99% of their value within hours. Despite this, Welch’s team is optimistic about the long-term success of the HAWK token.

“By launching the $HAWK token, Haliey can further connect with her community in a fun, secure way,” said Jonnie Forster, Welch’s manager. “It empowers her fans while tackling the confusion created by scammers releasing unauthorized coins using her name and image.”