In a surprising flip of occasions that has despatched shockwaves by way of the language-learning group and social media at massive, Duolingo introduced on Tuesday that its infamous mascot, Duo the Owl, has mysteriously handed away. The inexperienced owl, well-known for his relentless pursuit of linguistic excellence and passive-aggressive reminders, has apparently gone to that nice language lab within the sky.
an necessary message from Duolingo pic.twitter.com/jTTT680yVs
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
The corporate’s spokesperson delivered the information with attribute gravity: “It’s with deep remorse that we inform concerning the passing of our beloved owl, Duo.” In what is perhaps thought-about a passive-aggressive jab from past the grave, they added, “To be trustworthy, he probably died as a result of our learners did not take their classes significantly, however then once more, what do we all know.” A becoming epitaph, maybe, for an owl who spent years guilt-tripping hundreds of thousands into conjugating verbs.
Including a touch of intrigue to the proceedings, Duolingo later dropped a cryptic bombshell on X (previously Twitter), stating they’re “presently investigating Jimmy” – although who this mysterious Jimmy is perhaps stays as unclear as a newbie’s pronunciation of “croissant.”
The web, predictably, has gone completely barmy over the information. The announcement has garnered over half 1,000,000 likes, with customers dashing to share their “grief” and “regret.” One notably guilt-ridden consumer lamented, “Bro spent his final days begging me to be taught French…and I ignored him…I’ll by no means get better from this.” One can solely think about the remedy payments.
Many followers have reacted to the information with memes.
— cairo (@fwkairo) February 11, 2025
RIP BOZO pic.twitter.com/xHCRqrehcG
— IcyVert (@IcyVert) February 11, 2025
The company world, by no means one to overlook a second of collective web hysteria, has joined the mourning parade with their very own cheeky tributes. Pizza Hut, channelling peak Gen-Z vitality, pleaded “Say Sike rn,” whereas Baskin Robbins went full Billy Joel with “Solely the great (birds) die younger.” Cheez-It supplied maybe probably the most becoming tribute: “They died doing what they cherished” – presumably haunting the goals of language learners worldwide.
As investigations into Duo’s premature demise proceed, questions stay. Was it the pressure of sending billions of notification reminders? Did somebody lastly snap after receiving their a centesimal “You missed your Spanish lesson!” alert? Or is that this merely one other masterclass in viral advertising and marketing from the language-learning behemoth?
One factor’s sure: someplace, a notification goes unread, and Duo – lifeless or alive – might be nonetheless judging us for it.
Written with the View : afaqs