Please enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter.

Who's doing what in the world of commercial creativity.

cropped-Stable

cropped-Stable
Duolingo kills its mascot (and builds a trending social campaign)
February 17, 2025

Duolingo has kept the language learning app trending in socials for a week – by killing its mascot. Duo the Owl was invented in 2017 to threaten users with passive-aggressive comments if they didn’t do their lessons. He became a viral hit.

The stunt began with an “important announcement” by Duolingo on X, “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead. Please post any leads on Twitter. Thank you for your patience with us during these trying times.” 

A series of posts then kept the stunt alive.

“Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know,” the statement said. “We are 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.”

(Not the smartest marketing idea in the age of online scamming. The credit card request was later retracted.)

The obituary post also revealed that Duolingo authorities were looking into a Canadian rapper. (This followed the company’s post during the Super Bowl LIX game on Sunday dissing Canadian rapper, Drake, who was dissed throughout Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show.

However, the real murdered was revealed in another post to be a Tesla Cybertruck, a nice touch for Gen Z to add to the Elon Musk mockery racing across social media.

Duolingo then advertised the sale of Duo plushies in coffin-shaped boxes, with the promise “All Duo Plushie purchases come with a free, limited edition memorial coffin box, while supplies last.”

And the other Duolingo characters, Junior, Lily, Lin, Lucy, Zari and Bea, were shown in coffin-shaped boxes with Xs for eyes as a tribute to Duo.  

The Duo plushie was then sold in a free, limited edition memorial coffin box and a new product, an enamel pin showing Duo with X-ed eyes was added.

Even Dua Lipa was induced to weight into the drama: 


Share

News



1/853 New South Head, Rose Bay. 2029. 61 413 020 713
Editorial: candide@thestable.com.au  Advertise with us: advertising@thestable.com.au