What we can learn from Dabloons: the latest TikTok trend

This incredible TikTok trend has engulfed my life for the past week. I’m constantly asking people ‘how many Dabloons do you have?’ ‘Have you bought any supplies?’ and nearly every single time I’m met with another question – ‘Molly, what are Dabloons?’

It seems that nobody but me (and a select few others on the app) has been swept away by this bizarre, highly entertaining online game. So, I’m here to give you the run down and answer your questions.

What are Dabloons?

Dabloons are a fake online currency on TikTok that you use to buy imaginary things, like food and clothing to use on your ‘travels’ down your FYP (for you page).

The image most used for them are a collection of small gold coins, like the pound. But they have a bit more of a medieval spin.

How do you get Dabloons?

Dabloons can be acquired in a few ways.

• A gift. As you scroll down your FYP, a cat will greet you with something along the lines of ‘Hello there, weary traveller!’ with the same unique song played in the background. This cat will offer you shelter and a rest from your scrolling and may even give you food or a hot chocolate. If you are patient enough to watch to the end of the video, you’ll sometimes be given some Dabloons. This usually comes in either 4, 8, 10, and if you’re very lucky, 100.
• A quest. Sometimes, you come across a video that will ask you to complete a quest to earn your Dabloons. This may be linking to another profile where you need to go watch other videos to finish the tasks, or something as simple as ‘Like this video and I will give you 10 Dabloons’.
• A job. Now, I can’t explain this without sounding crazy. But you can get a job. If you are offered one (bookstore, bakers, a pirate ship) you can choose to accept and complete a task daily to earn say 35 Dabloons a day.
• Joining an alliance. Again, I can’t explain this. But there is a revolution (we’ll get to that part later) and if you join one of the various rebellious gangs, you can earn a joining fee, which is usually around 100 Dabloons.

How do I lose Dabloons?

Again, Dabloons can be lost in a few ways.

• Buying things. In this very weird game, you will see videos that offer you supplies in exchange for some Dabloons. Like a first aid kit, or food, or a dragon. These come in various prices depending on which creator’s store you come across.
• Sometimes, those whiskers are not cute, but deadly blades. They will steal all your Dabloons and supplies if you do not guard them correctly. You can protect yourself with potions and insurance that you can buy from the previously mentioned stores. You can also open a bank account and not carry Dabloons, so that a robber can’t steal them.

What in the world do you mean by a revolution?

Basically, with no government initially formed, there were no rules in place for the game. People would gift ‘Infinite Dabloons’ (Come on, really? What’s the point in that?) and that caused rapid inflation for supply prices. A lot of people suffered. 8 Dabloons for one hot chocolate at only a 3-star Inn is absolutely ridiculous. The poor got poorer.

The most insane thing is that this helped people to understand how inflation works. So many history lessons wasted when we only needed to experience the collapse of a fake, cat-controlled, online society to learn. Why did nobody think of this sooner?

Anyway, the natural solution was to form a government. It became illegal to gift more than 100 Dabloons per video, and those who didn’t comply were arrested (no, I will not elaborate on how this is possible).

However, like every account of history ever, some people didn’t agree. This has caused underground rebellions that want to make their own rules, where Dabloonaires still exist whilst others are recovering from the impact of inflation. We expect war any day now.

How do you actually play this game?

Well, first, you cannot search for these videos. The Dabloons you collect only count when the video is on your FYP – searching for it will mean that they were not meant to cross your path, and so were not meant for you. If you want to play, you must hope the cats find you on their own.

When you do start to play, don’t try to keep track of this by memory. In just a few videos a lot can change. Always have your notes app open whilst on TikTok and edit your count/supplies as you go.

For reference, here is my current notes app tracker:

What’s the point?

There absolutely is not one, it’s just fun. Live a little.

That said, as a digital marketer, it’s opened my eyes to a lot of things.

• The endless possibilities of virtual reality, because people are so desperate for escapism that they will become deeply invested in just about any reality other than ours. The Metaverse has potential to create something truly incredible.
• That the older generation nagging about how ‘children don’t play like they used to’ are absolutely wrong. Children are still making something from nothing and exploring imaginative play. But instead of a sword out of stick, it’s a complex economy out of a 2D image of pirate coins. You tell me which takes more imagination.
• Finally, Dabloons have taught me that anyone will buy from you as long as your marketing campaign includes pictures of cats – even if what you sell literally doesn’t exist.

For those of you who haven’t already, make sure to download TikTok to play.

Good luck, weary Travellers. And long live The Rebellion.