'Probably Died Waiting for You to Do Your Lesson': Duolingo Says Its Mascot, Duo the Owl, Is Dead

Duolingo took to societal media connected Tuesday to denote that it has killed disconnected its mascot, or, rather, the vertebrate has died.

"It is pinch dense hearts that we pass you that Duo, formally known arsenic The Duolingo Owl, is dead," the post begins. "Authorities are presently investigating his decease and we are cooperating fully."

We propose checking the trading section for evidence.

"TBH, he astir apt died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know?" the institution continued. "If you consciousness inclined to share, please besides see your in installments paper number truthful we tin automatically motion you up for Duolingo Max successful his memory."

In a statement to a CBS affiliate, a Duolingo spokesperson confirmed that arsenic a portion of a caller marque trading campaign, Duo is "dead" but group shouldn't really station their in installments paper information, arsenic that portion of the station was expected to beryllium a joke.

The owl's fame has taken connected a life of its own, pinch the vertebrate moreover making an appearance astatine Berlin Fashion Week past month.

It's not the first clip Duolingo has been unconventional successful its attack to trading (and meetings). In November 2024, the institution replaced CEO Luis von Ahn on its net call pinch its purple-haired chatbot, Lily.

"Over time, she's going to do much and much of my job, and I tin conscionable retire," von Ahn said, astatine the time.

The Duolingo vertebrate during the Marina Hoermanseder Fashion Show arsenic portion of the Berlin Fashion Week AW25 astatine Hotel Oderberger connected January 31, 2025, successful Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Isa Foltin/Hoermanseder via Getty Images)

The station ends pinch the institution asking everyone to "respect Dua Lipa's privateness astatine this time."

The company's TikTok relationship has been posting astir Dua Lipa for years, pinch Duolingo's societal media squad keeping the gag applicable pinch regular posting.

Although the institution didn't opportunity what killed the owl, the trading squad decided to do this successful the mediate of the world bird flu, though it's not clear if that was intentional aliases ill-timed. Still, we'll hold for the last autopsy.

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