 "RIP Duo the Owl: Why has Duolingo killed its famous green mascot?")
Duolingo has bumped off its mascot, Duo the Owl. The language learning platform took to social media on Tuesday (February 11) to announce the death of its bird.
Duolingo said the owl mysteriously died and its cause of death is yet to be known. After the post, social media descended into a frenzy, with users sharing memes about the “news”.
Here’s what happened.
But first, what’s Duolingo?
Duolingo is a language learning app launched in 2011. It gamifies the experience of acquiring the knowledge of a new tongue. The popular app reportedly had 103.4 million (10.34 crore) monthly active users in 2024.
To ensure people come back, Duolingo has tasked its mascot, Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo – commonly known as Duo the Owl, to remind users to study the language by sending regular push notifications.
As per a post on X by Duolingo, Duo the Owl was born in 1000 BC. The animated green owl actually made its debut in 2011 but had a different look then.
In lieu of flowers, please do a Duolingo lesson. pic.twitter.com/4CTl2Jc6Oe
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
Duolingo’s logo at the time featured a 2-D owl whose eyes and mouth spelt out “DUO”, noted USA TODAY.
Impact Shorts
View AllA year later, the first 3-D version of Duo with a realistic owl body and wide eyes was released.
The language learning platform gamified its green mascot in 2014, making it more adorable and animated. Duo the Owl as we know it today came to be in 2018.
The bird gained such popularity that it even made an appearance at Berlin Fashion Week last month.
And now, the owl is dead.
Duo the Owl is no more
Duo the Owl has bit the dust. The language learning app shared the development in a social media post, saying: “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead.”
“Authorities are currently investigating his death and we are cooperating fully.”
Duolingo quipped, “We’re aware he had many enemies. Tbh (to be honest), he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know.”
an important message from Duolingo pic.twitter.com/jTTT680yVs
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
The company jokingly asked users to share their “credit card number so we can automatically sign you up for Duolingo Max in his memory.”
The post also mentioned pop star Dua Lipa, who has long been idolised by the owl as they share similar names. Referring to the long-running inside joke, the company requested people to “respect Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.”
Using a broken red heart, Dup Lipa reacted to the company’s post and commented: “Til’ death duo part.”
Til' death duo part 💔 https://t.co/XqVUTK5E0V
— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) February 12, 2025
As per USA TODAY, Duolingo also shared a video on TikTok showing the app’s characters Lily and Zari carrying Duo’s coffin to be kept in a pickup truck bed and driven away.
To mark the green owl’s death, Duolingo has updated its social media profile pictures and app icon to show the photo of the bird with Xs for eyes.
Internet reacts
Memes galore as Duolingo announced the death of its green mascot.
More than regular people it was the brands that engaged with the post. Several accounts including Assassin’s Creed, World of Warcraft, Chipotle, and Chess.com posted about the owl’s death.
Netflix shared a video online of Duo being eliminated from the hit Korean series, Squid Game. The caption on Instagram read, “sending my condolences fr (for real).”
duo the owl has been eliminated pic.twitter.com/Qly2NAYbWH
— Netflix (@netflix) February 11, 2025
Duo has previously tied up with Netflix to promote Squid Game.
Reacting to the owl’s death, some social media users shared stories about Duolingo replacing workers with artificial intelligence (AI).
Here’s a look at some of the best memes.
You're welcome https://t.co/Dm2V9PSLvD pic.twitter.com/uWd3TwGDqM
— Assassin's Creed UK (@Assassins_UK) February 11, 2025
— Xbox (@Xbox) February 11, 2025
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) February 11, 2025
Why has Duolingo killed Duo?
It’s all a well-considered strategy. A Duolingo spokesperson told a CBS News affiliate that the owl’s death is part of a new brand marketing campaign, adding that Duo is “dead” but people should refrain from posting their credit card information as mentioned in the post as it was a joke.
This is not the first time a company has killed off its mascot as a marketing tactic. PR Week noted that Mr Peanut died in 2020 only to be reborn as Baby Nut.
Whatever Duolingo has in store for its cute but annoying mascot remains to be seen. For now, the green owl has got people and brands talking.
With inputs from agencies
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