‘We’re aware he had many enemies’: Duolingo announces ‘death’ of owl mascot
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The "demise" of the green owl was announced on Feb 11.
PHOTOS: DUOLINGO/FACEBOOK, DUOLINGO/X
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The streak has ended for Duo, the green, deranged owl mascot of language-learning app Duolingo.
In a head-turning announcement on Feb 11, Duolingo declared the demise of the owl, best known for its constant guilt-tripping reminders, and sometimes threats to language learners to do their daily lessons.
The mascot is believed to have “died waiting for you to do your lesson”, and the authorities are currently investigating, said the announcement.
“We’re aware he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments,” it said, adding jokingly that those who wanted to share should also include their credit card number for subscription to a premium feature.
The app has more than 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store. The Apple App Store does not disclose those numbers to the public.
A Duolingo spokesperson told entertainment news site E! News that Duo’s “death” is a prelude to another announcement, telling people to track Duolingo’s social media channels “as we uncover the shocking (and possibly absurd) truth behind his untimely demise”.
While users of the app will still see the owl on the app’s icon, its eyes have been crossed out, with its tongue seen sticking out.
Among famous internet personalities, Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo - better known as Duo the Owl, had a reputation for being completely cuckoo, including numerous jabs against Google Translate uploaded on YouTube.
It was also always quick to swoop on the cultural zeitgeist to drive engagement, with the latest trending topic it posted before its untimely “death” showing the green owl mimicking rapper Kendrick Lamar’s performance during the Super Bowl half-time show on Feb 9, when he called out Drake.
On Jan 14, with the looming deadline of TikTok’s potential ban in the US, the account poked fun at American users jumping over to Chinese app Xiaohongshu,
Netizens had a hoot reacting to news of Duo’s passing, creating numerous related memes, with streaming platform Netflix showing the owl being eliminated from its hit series Squid Game 2.
Meanwhile, popular gaming franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Halo posted their titular characters cradling Duo.
Duolingo’s statement asked that people respected pop star Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.
The green owl has not shied away from proclaiming its love for the singer over the years, and even had a TikTok video where it auditioned to be a dancer for her world tour.
