Jody Serrano
Editor in chiefEditor in Chief at Xataka On. Before joining Webedia, I was a tech reporter at Gizmodo and The Messenger. While I've covered all sorts of things related to technology, I'm specialized in writing about social media, Internet culture, Twitch, and streamers.
As they say in Game of Thrones, what is dead may never die. Duolingo may have announced that Duo—its famous mascot—died on Tuesday but based on the Internet frenzy around the green owl, I would say it’s more alive than ever.
It makes sense. The reasons behind the mascot’s death are still unknown, though it looks like a Cybertruck may have been to blame. As a result, the Internet has been left gaping like a fish, all while Duolingo twists its figurative mustache and cackles over the endless stream of brand engagement.
The death of Duo. Officially known as "Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo," the green owl’s death was sudden. Shortly after the Super Bowl, it gleefully uploaded a post making fun of Drake, who had been thoroughly eviscerated by Kendrick Lamar during his half-time show. Hours later, Duolingo announced that the owl was dead.
“Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully,” Duolingo said in a statement on Tuesday. “Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know.”
According to Duolingo, the green owl was born in 1000 BC, which is likely how he had the time to learn so many languages. Jokes aside, the mascot was created in 2011 before the app was launched. In the original design, the owl's eyes spelled out "Duo," though that was changed over the years.
The original Duo in 2011.
Duo's job: making people uncomfortable. It's only fitting that Duo was born green because the company's CPO didn't like the color. Since its inception, Duo's job has been to make people uncomfortable so they can try to learn, a job it's continued to do over the years with glee.
“People meme-ified Duo as this thing that will hunt you down if you don’t do your Spanish lesson for the day,” Duolingo's vice president of design Ryan Sims said.
The brand parade. Duo’s death set off a slew of remembrance posts from other brands, including Chipotle, Netflix, and even the European Space Agency. In recent days, it’s seemed like no part of social media was owl-free. The biggest interaction, though, came from Dua Lipa (the singer).
“Til’ death duo part,” Dua Lipa said in a post on X.
As for why Dua Lipa would care that a brand’s mascot died, it’s a question of lore. Duolingo has been creating lore around Duo’s (the owl) unrequited love for Dua Lipa for years. The brand said that once, the owl even proposed to Dua Lipa outside of Madison Square Garden (she said no).
Why did Duo die? While condolences have been pouring in, a key question remains unanswered: Why did Duo die? That’s what people have been asking on social media and on Google. According to Google Trends, “why did Duo die” and “how did Duo die” have both been breakout search terms since Duolingo announced that its mascot had departed this world.
But the company has been coy about revealing the reasons behind the owl’s death. First, it stated that the authorities were investigating the cause of death. However, on Wednesday the brand revealed that the owl had apparently been hit by a Tesla Cybertruck.
“Reward for whoever can identify the driver,” Duolingo said in an Instagram post. “Please post any leads on Instagram. Thank you for your patience with us during these trying times.”
Duolingo’s genius plan. At the end of the day, it’s clear that this is a massive advertising campaign for Duolingo, and there’s no doubt it’s been a success. The fact that this campaign came from Duolingo isn’t surprising. The company has set itself apart for its “wholesome and unhinged” social media marketing strategy for years.
“It took some time to find our voice, especially with our external marketing,” the Duolingo team said in a recently published brand handbook. “Early on, we tried to appeal to the broadest possible audience, but we ended up with nothing distinctive to say… So we changed tack, and our approach to marketing became weird, unexpected, and often funny.”
But really, where is the owl? As I mentioned at the beginning, what is dead may never die. There is zero chance that Duolingo would kill off such an emblematic part of its identity. Case in point: As of publication, the app still has Duo’s face on it. The public got a hint from the brand on what comes next on Thursday.
“We’ve heard from authorities the best way to channel your grief and unlock more about the investigation is to do your lesson. Together, if we really try, we can bring Duo back,” the company wrote.
If I were to bet, I think Duo is going to have a Jesus moment. Mark my words.
Image | Duolingo (edited) | Apple Developer | appshunter.io
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