Days after Duolingo announced the abrupt death of its iconic mascot, the Duo Owl, the internet has been ablaze with conspiracy theories. Duo – full name Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo – was born in 1000 BC, according to Duolingo, but died earlier this week after being the face of the company since 2011. The green owl mascot’s tendency to guilt-trip users in a passive-aggressive way made him a meme in 2017, and his popularity has soared ever since.
“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead,” read the post, which has garnered over 131 million views so far.
“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.”
an important message from Duolingo pic.twitter.com/jTTT680yVs
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
The concluding statement included a message for Duo Owl followers to respect the privacy of the mascot’s longstanding romantic interest, Grammy-winning singer, Dua Lipa.
“We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.”
Reacting to the news, the pop singer wrote, “Til’ death duo part”, with a broken heart emoji.
Til’ death duo part 💔 https://t.co/XqVUTK5E0V
— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) February 12, 2025
To mark Duo’s death, Duolingo updated its social media profile pictures and app icon to depict a photo of the bird with Xs for eyes.
As of the last update, no cause of death had been provided but the company released a video on X, confirming that the beloved mascot 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. #Ripduo pic.twitter.com/zv8QxtNh9E
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 12, 2025
While a section of the internet blamed Duo’s death on users for avoiding their language lessons, others claimed that it was an elaborate ruse to garner the attention of Dua Lipa.
duolingo owl literally faked his death so dua lipa would finally notice him omg https://t.co/rajH2mw0tV
— cali is on her own, kid 💫 (@longstorycali) February 12, 2025
The truth
In a statement to a local Pittsburgh news station, KDKA-TV, a Duolingo spokesperson confirmed that Duo is in fact dead as part of a brand marketing campaign but people should not actually post their credit card information.
A similar campaign was launched in 2020 when a mascot called Planters “killed” Mr Peanut in 2020. While the snack food company’s attempt did not attract many eyeballs, Duolingo has managed to achieve unprecedented social media traction.
Duolingo has embraced a “wholesome and unhinged” brand tone after its green owl mascot turned into an internet sensation. The death stunt is another attempt to get the public to talk about the product and increase app downloads.
