Duolingo Mascot ‘Dead?’ Internet Reacts to Company Post

Learning language app Duolingo posted to social media that its mascot, The Duolingo Owl, has passed away.

“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead,” the post on Instagram reads. “We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.”

Why It Matters

Duolingo has created a star persona for its mascot. Duo the Owl has taken part in many TikTok trends and met with celebrities. The iconic owl is known for his friendly and mischievous personality. His “sassy” nature often involves him guilt-tripping Duolingo app users if they skipped a lesson or fell behind in their learning as well as posting cheeky responses to people on social media. His catchphrase has become “I will remember that,” which has become a meme in itself.

What To Know

Duolingo said in their statement that authorities are “currently investigating” the cause of the owl’s death. The company is “cooperating fully.”

“Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know,” the post read. “we’re aware he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments. If you feel inclined to share, please also include your credit card number so we can automatically sign you up for Duolingo Max in his memory.”

The Instagram press release was announced early on Tuesday morning, around 10 a.m. The company added to the caption that it was “an important message from Duolingo.”

Just an hour before Duo’s announced death, the owl was seen in a post with the caption “SAY DRAKE.”

The language app has also updated its social media profile pictures to show Duo with crossed-out eyes.

Duo was introduced in 2011. His green color was originally decided as a joke between co-founders Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, since it is Hacker’s least favorite color, according to the Duolingo Guides.

Originally, Duo was a logo with no face, but Duolingo’s Art Head Greg Hartman called it “creepy.” Instead, Hartman and his team worked to create the cute and engaging owl that looks like a spectacled owl from Central and South America.

The owl has been known to comment on pop culture references, writing “tf is cirkul” and “it’s a good day to be a green bird” on Sunday for the Super Bowl, in reference to an advertisement as well as the Philadelphia Eagles win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

When TikTok momentarily stopped working in January, Duo made a video as a sick bird with snot coming out of his beak.

Who Owns Duolingo

Duolingo, which offers 43 languages on its gamification platform, was originally created in 2009 by Carnegie Mellon professor Luis von Ahn and his post-graduate student Severin Hacker.

The app was originally financed by von Ahn’s MacArthur fellowship and a National Science Foundation grant. By the end of 2011, Duolingo announced it raised $3.3 million from a Series A round of funding led by Union Square Ventures.

It later raised an additional $15 million from Series B funding led by New Enterprise Associates, $20 million from Series C funding led by Kleiner Caufield & Byers, $45 million from Series D funding led by Google Capital, $25 million in Series E funding by Drive Capital, and $30 million in Series F funding led by CapitalG.

The owners are now a range of financial institutions and individuals.

What People Are Saying

People in the comments section of Duolingo’s post are saying it’s not their fault since they did their lessons.

Duolingoenglishtest on Instagram: “noo mi owl”.

Tarte Cosmetics on Instagram: “not you dying before we were supposed to go on our date”.

What’s Next

It is unclear if Duo the Owl will return, similar to how Planter’s Mr. Peanut died in an advertising move during the 2020 Super Bowl and then was later “reborn” as Baby Nut.