If you’ve ever tried learning a new language on Duolingo, chances are you’ve been haunted by its relentless green owl—and now, it seems, karma has finally caught up with him. Duolingo has announced that its relentless green mascot, Duo the Owl, has passed away, presumably after one too many ignored notifications.
The language-learning app shared the news in a dramatic social media post: “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead.”
The company admitted that the cause of death remains a mystery but hinted at one possibility: “Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know.” Fans of the app know all too well the relentless push notifications Duo sends to remind them to stay on track with their language lessons.
an important message from Duolingo pic.twitter.com/jTTT680yVs
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
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Duolingo also noted that Duo “had many enemies” but urged people not to flood the comments with reasons for their dislike. However, if they insisted, the app suggested they include their credit card details as well—so they could be “automatically signed up for Duolingo Max in his memory.”
The post took an even wilder turn when the company randomly requested that people “respect Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.” This was likely a nod to Duolingo’s long-running inside joke about Duo’s supposed obsession with the pop star—a theme that has appeared frequently in their viral TikTok content.
As expected, the Internet had a field day with the announcement, with fans mocking and making memes, and of course, speculating about what really happened to the infamous green owl.
Every other company capitalised on the opportunity to put their best meme-leg forward:
Here are some of the best ones:
You’re welcome https://t.co/Dm2V9PSLvD pic.twitter.com/uWd3TwGDqM
— Assassin’s Creed UK (@Assassins_UK) February 11, 2025
Sorry, Duo… but Death is not an escape… https://t.co/l6CwkGCZYZ pic.twitter.com/xR8sEiW6gF
— Dead by Daylight (@DeadbyDaylight) February 11, 2025
— Halo (@Halo) February 11, 2025
Top 10 Saddest Anime Deaths 😔💔 We will miss you, Duo pic.twitter.com/PRYepVCbGM
— Crunchyroll (@Crunchyroll) February 11, 2025
duo the owl has been eliminated pic.twitter.com/Qly2NAYbWH
— Netflix (@netflix) February 11, 2025
Some users speculated that the whole thing is just a marketing stunt by Duolingo.
https://x.com/JamesonZaballos/status/1889349820617257395
CBS News reported that a Duolingo spokesperson told KDKA-TV that Duo’s death is indeed part of a brand marketing campaign, and urged people not to share their credit card details online.
PR Week noted that this isn’t the first time a company has killed off a mascot—Mr Peanut famously met his end in 2020, only to be reborn as Baby Nut. As for what’s in store for Duo, fans will just have to wait and see.
