True to the spirited ethos of cryptocurrency communities, it took less than thirteen minutes after Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade for someone to upload the entire Bee Movie script onto the mainnet — all for the modest sum of around $14.
The individual behind this whimsical feat is Ethereum developer Dan Cline, who proudly claims the title of being the first to upload the full-length script onto the blockchain. Cline seized the opportunity presented by a new upgrade that aims to significantly reduce fees on Ethereum layer 2s.
“I didn’t get the first blob, but as far as I can tell I DID get the first BEE MOVIE on mainnet,” wrote Cline in a post shared on March 13. The act of uploading the Bee Movie script has become somewhat of a tradition within crypto circles, often symbolizing a race to mint the script on new networks and blockchain-related platforms. This trend stems from the broader Bee Movie meme, where enthusiasts share the entire script across various social media platforms.
According to Blobscan data, the script made its blockchain debut at 2:08 pm UTC on March 13, a mere 13 minutes after the Dencun upgrade went live. The transaction incurred a total cost of $13.88, as reported by data from Etherscan.
Referred to as EIP-4844 or “proto-danksharding,” blobs were introduced as a fundamental feature of Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade to slash transaction costs on layer-2 networks significantly.
In addition to several other enhancements, the Dencun upgrade enables layer 2s to utilize blobs instead of a calldata function for temporarily storing data during transaction execution, resulting in lower costs for end-users.
However, the lifespan of Cline’s Bee Movie script on the Ethereum network is limited to a few weeks, as Blobs are automatically “pruned” after approximately 18 days — the duration required for a layer 2 to retrieve the contained data.
Following suit, Mason Hall, an engineer and investment partner at crypto venture capital firm a16z, replicated the stunt less than an hour later, albeit at a lower cost of $5. At the time of writing, three Ethereum layer-2 networks — Starknet, ZkSync, Optimism, and Base — have integrated blobs into their networks, according to data from Dune Analytics.
Jesse Pollak, the lead developer of Base network, announced in a post shared on March 14 that the incorporation of blobs had led to a drastic reduction in transaction fees, plummeting from around $0.31 to nearly zero.
The act of uploading the Bee Movie script onto Ethereum’s Dencun-upgraded network stands as a lighthearted reminder that even in the world of cutting-edge technology, there’s always room for a touch of humor. As developers continue to explore novel solutions to enhance scalability and reduce costs, such instances remind us of the playful and creative spirit that pervades the blockchain community.
