The child in the viral “Disaster Girl” meme – the one smiling knowingly at the camera as a house literally burns in the background – is now a college senior, and has sold the original copy of her meme as a non-fungible token, or NFT, the New York Times reported Thursday.

“Disaster Girl,” perhaps one of the most recognizable members of the unofficial meme hall of fame, is now an NFT worth half a million dollars. The 4-year-old girl from the photo, now a college student, plans to pay off student loans and donate to charity. https://t.co/cmJrm3qMbA

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 29, 2021

Zoë Roth, a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sold the NFT for 180 Ether, a form of cryptocurrency that is currently valued at more than $495,000, the Times reported.

An NFT is a piece of digital media that is tagged with a unique digital code that confirms its authenticity.

Although Roth herself may not be a household name, the meme has probably been seen by pretty much anyone who has ever been on the internet.

“Ms. Roth remembers watching the flames engulf the house when her father, an amateur photographer, asked her to smile,” the Times report said. “With her hair askew and a knowing look in her eyes, Ms. Roth flashed a devilish smirk as the fire roared behind her. ‘Disaster Girl’ was born.”

“In the years since Dave Roth, Zoë’s father, entered it in a photo contest in 2007 and won, the image has been edited into various disasters from history, with Ms. Roth grinning impishly as a meteor wipes out the dinosaurs or the Titanic sinks in the distance.”

The Times noted that the photo was taken when Roth was four years old. The local fire department had intentionally set the house on fire in a controlled way, and neighbors had gathered to watch.

Although Roth told the Times that she has felt powerless over the situation since she was in elementary school, she is also “super grateful for the entire experience.”

The Roths kept the copyright to the photo, and will receive 10 percent of future sales, the Times reported. Zoë Roth plans on using the money to pay off her student loans, and will also donate to charities.

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