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W<\/span>ho will dump my bags now? Yesterday, it was reported that Igor Bogdanoff, twin of Grichka, passed away due to complications of the coronavirus, six days after his brother\u2019s untimely death of the same disease. The two were known for their flamboyance, outlandish scientific theories and mountainous cheekbones, and were, to some extent, the face of the cryptocurrency day trader.<\/p>\n Descendents of European nobility and preeminent figures of popular science, the twins have been commemorated in countless memes. It was often said Igor and Grichka were behind the wild price fluctuations in token markets \u2013 somehow always taking the opposite side of your trade.<\/p>\n This article is excerpted from The Node, CoinDesk\u2019s daily roundup of the most pivotal stories in blockchain and crypto news. You can subscribe to get the full newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn peace and love, surrounded by his children and his family, Igor Bogdanoff left for the light on Monday January 3, 2022,\u201d the Bogdanoff estate said, as reported by The Sun<\/a>. \u201cRIP Grichka Bogdanoff, no wonder everything is dumping,\u201d one Twitter user<\/a> wrote, referencing the popular in-joke among traders.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sad day for crypto. The Bogdanoffs were part of the crypto family since at least 2017, coming to particular prominence in the heady days of the initial coin offering rally. Known across the internet for their atypical look \u2013 their nearly identical brunette quaffs, square jaws and faces that appeared to be Botoxed or plastic (or both) \u2013 crypto traders made them into mythical figures.<\/p>\n RIP the Bogdanoff brothers, they have a place in crypto history with their “pump it” “dump it” memes. Condolences to their families. pic.twitter.com\/3Smi1qGoID<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \u24e5ic DeLarge🔺️ (@vicdelarge) January 3, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In one meme, Grichka, iPhone to his chiseled face, tells some magisterial figure who can move crypto prices to \u201cpump\u201d or \u201cdump\u201d (sometimes \u201cpomp\u201d or \u201cdomp\u201d) the market. In 2018, YouTuber Bizonacci teased the joke into a widely shared, minute-long video, \u201cHe Bought,\u201d<\/a> of a wojack (those black-lined drawings of the average internet user) driven into madness by the countertrading Bogdanoffs.<\/p>\n You never want to take any meme too seriously, but if there\u2019s a deeper meaning here, it might be the admission that crypto is fundamentally speculative. It might be a reference to massive bagholders \u2013 early investors, project insiders \u2013 with outsized influence on crypto markets. It\u2019s self-referential, a little mean-spirited, but all in good fun.<\/p>\n Often, it seemed like the Bogdanoffs were trolls themselves. They were at least familiar with their stature as memes. Last July, the twins told French TV show \u201cNon Stop People,\u201d the image of Grichka was downloaded more than \u201c1.3 billion times\u201d and put in \u201call blockchains between 2010-2012.\u201d In that same interview, the twins claimed to have been former colleagues of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous figure often credited with developing Bitcoin, and even said they contributed to the network\u2019s development.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is probably Nakamoto who made [the photo] circulate,\u201d Igor Bogdanoff said, as reported by Decrypt<\/a>.<\/p>\n See also: \u2018It\u2019s Part and Parcel of Crypto\u2019: How Memes Drive Narrative in Crypto<\/a><\/p>\n The Bogdanoffs\u2019 public personas have always bordered on the absurd. The New York Times described their role as co-hosts of \u201cTemps X,\u201d the French science fiction TV show that launched their media careers in the \u201870s and \u201880s, as \u201cscience clowns.\u201d<\/a> In the \u201890s, they fought (and settled) plagiarism claims concerning their book \u2018\u2019God and Science.\u201d At the turn of the century, they published several scientific articles that put forward a theory of what happened before and during the birth of the universe, which later became the center of \u201cthe Bogdanov affair.\u201d<\/a> Recently, they were accused of swindling a bipolar millionaire<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perhaps it\u2019s no surprise then that the twin mathematical physicists and movie producers<\/a> are tethered to the crypto industry. They walked the line between fake and real science, between absurdity and self-knowledge. On the surface, they were a little grotesque, though they said they enjoyed looking like \u201caliens.\u201d They denied having plastic surgery, but they could have very well been in on the joke.<\/p>\n The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n