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Duo run over by a Cybertruck?!
Duolingo’s mascot is apparently dead. Long live Duo.
When my wife first said to me “Duo is dead” I thought the poor thing had finally gone completely mad.
Duolingo, as anyone who follows the UX industry knows, is a widely admired giant of the industry. Duolingo is UX as a product. Key to its gamified learning model is the employment of characters, animations and pretty buttons that drive engagement. The lead amongst this odd bunch of people (that I have got to know a little too well) is the somewhat annoying but still wholesome owl, Duo.
Yet, the lady persisted. On her phone, I was shown this message that had come up on her Instagram page:
Duo? A cartoon mascot? Dead?
Still clinging to hope, that we live in a rational universe, I thought that Fancy Bears or some other hacker group had taken over Duolingo’s socials. However, it turns out that killing off Duo was part of a larger social media plan. More jokes ensued, riffing off the Super Bowl and the Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud. As Omar Gallaga writing for CNET summarises it:
The post, which appeared on multiple platforms, mentioned that Duo, “Formally known as The Duolingo Owl,” had “many enemies.” Duolingo then posted a memorial, referring to the mascot as Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo. “In lieu of flowers, please do a Duolingo lesson,” the company wrote. A TikTok video showed other mascots transporting a coffin containing the owl onto a pickup truck.
In another post, Duolingo said, “UPDATE: Officials have identified cause of death. More details to follow. Thank you for holding space for Dualingo.”
And then a gruesome video was revealed where a Cybertruck runs over a stuffed version of Duo. Animations reveal him, eyes as crosses and tongue lolling, flying past the gates of hell.
You may be wondering: “Chat what is going on?”
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