The internet was shocked to learn that Duolingo's pestering multi-lingual owl mascot was killed, but why and how?
When the controversy-laden TikTok was (briefly) shut down, users started migrating to similar apps, like RedNote. In turn, people also flooded Duolingo to learn Mandarin, which the language-learning app took full advantage of.
But after flying so high, it's only made more tragic (and funny) that Duolingo's owl mascot was struck down.
How Did Duolingo Die?
On February 11, at 10:01 p.m. ET, Duolingo announced to its one million followers on X that its iconic (and famously annoying) owl mascot, Duo, was dead:
"It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead.
Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully. Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know.
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.
We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa's privacy at this time."
At the time, the cause of death wasn't yet revealed to the grieving and gleeful. However, the next day, Duolingo released a video on X confirming that Duo died at the hands of an inattentive and unidentified Tesla Cybertruck driver in a parking lot:
"UPDATE: Reward for whoever can identify the driver. Please post any leads on Twitter.
Thank you for your patience with us during these trying times."
The casualness with which the learning-language app announced its mascot's death sent the internet reeling in amusement, especially with how it initially blamed Duo's death on users for shirking their lessons, "Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know."
Of course, that's what it all comes down to. Duolingo is pushing users to download and use its app, but was this attempt at guilt-tripping and a dead owl worth it?
What Happened to the Duolingo Bird - His Death Explained From a Marketing Angle
A Duolingo spokesperson told a local Pittsburgh news station that Duo's death is part of an ongoing brand marketing campaign.
A similar campaign was employed with another mascot when Planters "killed" Mr. Peanut in 2020. However, Duolingo's marketing stunt appears to have been vastly more successful than the snack food company's attempt. As of writing, Duolino's X announcement garnered 119.9 million impressions and 737,000 likes.
Since Duo's abrupt death, other major brands and people posted about the owl's demise, each exploding with millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes, such as Assassin's Creed, Netflix, the World Health Organization (WHO), and singer Dua Lipa, who the Duo owl had been obsessed with for years.
What likely helped is that, unlike Mr. Peanut, Duo has already garnered a reputation for being an unhinged mascot character, making his death feel like another joke in a long line of absurd ones rather than a desperate marketing stunt.
As Duolingo described in the company's official handbook, Duo "grew into a more complicated — even menacing — character" when "the internet got their hands on him" and became an internet sensation:
"Our mascot was initially designed to encourage regular practice. But once the internet got their hands on him, he grew into a more complicated — even menacing — character with his own lore. He’s still cute and cuddly. But he’s also willing to temporarily relocate your family to ensure you finish your lessons."
Marketing evolved over the decades, with brands typically promoting and selling their more unremarkable products and services through eye-catching iconography or mascots—a borrowed interest with potential customers, such as Thrilljoy's new mascot, Bloo.
However, with an unhinged character comes unhinged marketing, a new term coined within the last decade that revolves around the more irreverent promotion of a brand's products. This can range from ironically insulting customers online to using memes or mascot characters, in this instance, suddenly dropping dead.
Duolingo continues to promote this narrative, even in another recent post on X, suggesting that users continue using its app to help bring the green owl back to life through daily quests:
It should be noted that this is not a new function or challenge of the language-learning app but is merely an extension of this unhinged marketing campaign.
It's anyone's guess when and how this will all end. Whether Duo gets a new design or returns to life as unceremoniously as he died, the green owl will undoubtedly live on (eventually) to pester users another day.
Duolingo is available for download on Google Play and the Apple Store.
