Vitalik Buterin switch to a Milady NFT avatar sparks fresh rally in controversial collection

Ethereum’s new year started with renewed attention on the Milady NFT scene after a high-profile avatar switch by its most famous co-founder.

Vitalik Buterin’s new year avatar move and market impact

On January 01, 2026, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, updated his X (formerly Twitter) profile picture to a Milady Maker-style image to ring in the new year. The avatar change reportedly took effect at 8:00 a.m. Beijing Time (UTC+0:00), immediately drawing attention from the crypto and NFT community.

Following the update, the floor price of the Milady NFT collection surged by over 50%. Moreover, the Milady Maker trading sales volume skyrocketed by +100% to nearly $500,000, underscoring how strongly market participants still react to signals from leading ecosystem figures.

“Welcome to 2026! Milady is back,” Buterin wrote in his X post, pairing the avatar switch with reflections on Ethereum’s progress. That said, the price reaction highlighted the ongoing sensitivity of NFT markets to perceived endorsements and cultural cues from influential developers.

Ethereum milestones in 2025 set the backdrop

In the same post, Buterin noted that Ethereum “did a lot in 2025.” He cited higher gas limits, an increased blob count, and better node software quality as key protocol-level improvements. Furthermore, he emphasized that zkEVMs hit major performance milestones over the year.

Alongside zkEVMs, Buterin pointed to PeerDAS as part of Ethereum’s largest step toward becoming a more fundamentally scalable network. However, the timing of the avatar change alongside these achievements naturally invited speculation that his choice of image might hint at broader plans for NFTs and data availability on Ethereum.

Previous avatar switch and price reaction in early 2025

Buterin has a history of changing his avatars to support projects or simply for fun, and these moves often attract attention. In early 2025, the Ethereum co-founder updated his X avatar to a Milady Maker NFT as well, which coincided with another sharp market move.

That previous change triggered a significant surge in the collection’s floor price, which jumped by more than 50%. Moreover, his decision stirred a substantial and heated debate over whether such visible profile changes could be interpreted as endorsements, and whether they might influence investor behavior in ways that raise ethical questions.

This latest switch again raised concerns among some observers about signals that could affect the milady nft community and speculative flows, even if Buterin’s stated intent was mainly a cultural nod and new year greeting.

What is Milady Maker and why it remains controversial

Launched in 2021, Milady Maker is a globally recognized non-fungible token project created by digital asset company Remilia Corporation. The collection has become one of the most talked-about Ethereum-based PFP series, combining cult popularity with ongoing controversy.

The project features a limited edition of 10,000 generative PFP NFTs on Ethereum, defined by a 2000s Tokyo “neochibi” aesthetic. Furthermore, the art emphasizes Y2K street style, where so-called “drip” scores take precedence over traditional rarity metrics, helping it stand out in a crowded NFT landscape.

Milady Maker has also gained notoriety through memes and occasional shout-outs from high-profile figures such as Elon Musk. However, recurring debates around its community, lore, and design philosophy have ensured that discussion of the collection often extends beyond simple price action.

Beeple’s reaction and speculation about Ethereum-NFT alignment

Buterin’s latest avatar shift quickly attracted the attention of prominent digital artist Beeple. On January 2, 2026, Beeple included a reference to the new Milady-themed avatar in his daily artwork, reinforcing the idea that cultural signals around Ethereum and NFTs remain powerful.

In the illustration, Beeple suggested that Buterin might be “cooking” something substantial on the Ethereum blockchain, potentially involving the Milady Maker team. Moreover, the depiction fueled market chatter that such a combination could herald deeper experimentation with NFT infrastructure, culture, or new applications on-chain.

Beeple captioned the piece “TIME TO COOK” and shared it on X, further amplifying speculation that something bigger could be brewing in the NFT ecosystem. That said, no formal collaboration or technical initiative has been announced publicly by either side so far.

Outlook for Milady and Ethereum’s NFT culture

The swift move in Milady’s floor price and trading volume once again underlined how tightly sentiment, culture, and liquidity are intertwined in NFT markets. However, without clear announcements, the latest avatar change remains best understood as a symbolic gesture rather than confirmed roadmap guidance.

For now, traders and collectors will likely continue watching Buterin’s public signals, as well as artwork from creators like Beeple, for clues on Ethereum’s evolving NFT narrative. In summary, the episode highlights how a single profile picture swap by a key ecosystem leader can still move both conversation and capital across the digital art and collectibles space.