Condolences pour in for Duolingo after Duo the Owl’s death in Cybertruck accident
As marketing stunts go, this one has “killed” it.
The “death” of a beloved mascot has sparked the kind of online frenzy that advertisers dream of, with everyone from the World Health Organization to Netflix offering their condolences.
It started Tuesday when the language-learning app Duolingo posted that Duo the Owl, its internet-famous big green bird, was dead.
“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead,” it wrote on social media. “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,” the announcement added.
A subsequent video on the brand’s social pages showed Duolingo characters Lily and Zari carrying Duo’s coffin to a pickup truck bed, which drove away.
The app later posted a video that appeared to show Duo getting “killed” by a Tesla Cybertruck.
The owl first became a meme in early 2019 with “Evil Duolingo Owl” appearing in posts across social media. But it wasn’t until 2021 that the owl rose to fame on TikTok, where Duolingo posted lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek videos featuring a life-size version of the mascot.
Fake or not, Duo’s death announcement has inspired other brands and organizations to get in on the bit by mourning the character on social media.
“#RIPDuo. May your cause of death be identified ASAP,” the World Health Organization wrote Wednesday on X, alongside an image of Duo in black and white with X’s in its eyes. “One thing we know for sure: It’s not smallpox, because the disease has been eradicated since 1980.”
“Someone forgot their space suit…” the European Space Agency wrote on X, alongside an image of Duo floating in space. “Fly high bestie”
Netflix shared an image of Duo on Instagram as one the players who were eliminated from the hit Korean series “Squid Game.”
Food chain Chipotle also posted an image of Duo posing outside one of its locations, writing “i’ll always remember u this way.”
Accounts for popular games like Halo and Assassin’s Creed created images of Duo being mourned by players in the games.
Even pop star Dua Lipa, whom the owl notoriously called “mommy” in one video, shared her reaction. “Til’ death duo part,” she wrote on X, with a broken heart emoji.
Before his “death,” Duo caused a bit of a stir online when he weighed in on the Super Bowl halftime show. The mascot appeared to poke fun at Canadian rapper Drake, whom performer Kendrick Lamar refers to in the diss track “Not Like Us.” Some online suggested the mascot was “faking” its death to dodge any lawsuits from Drake.
By Wednesday, Duo’s death was being widely discussed online, with some likening it to the 2020 “death” of Mr. Peanut, who the brand Planters announced had passed away in a pre-Super Bowl ad.
Duolingo has been encouraging users to send in any leads on who killed the bird.
But don’t be surprised if there’s somehow life after death for the beloved bird character.
“Together, if we really try, we can bring Duo back,” Duolingo said in a post Wednesday.
