Calvin is often remembered as one of the earliest crypto mascots, introduced by Nick Szabo in his 1997 paper “The God Protocol”

Calvin is often remembered as one of the earliest crypto mascots, introduced by Nick Szabo in his 1997 paper “The God Protocol.” In the paper, Calvin appears as a curious, skeptical character used to explain how trust, contracts, and authority could be replaced by cryptographic protocols rather than centralized institutions. Long before Bitcoin, Calvin symbolized the spirit of crypto: questioning power, valuing individual sovereignty, and using code instead of intermediaries. As a memecoin, Calvin represents the roots of the entire movement—humor, rebellion, and deep crypto philosophy wrapped into a simple, timeless icon.