Duolingo Announces Cause of Death for Owl Mascot

3 months ago 44

Duolingo Announces Death of Owl Mascot

R.I.P. Duo—gone but never forgotten.

Just one day after Duolingo announced that Duo—formally known as The Duolingo Owl—mysteriously passed away as part of its latest brand marketing campaign, the green legend’s cause of death was revealed.

“UPDATE,” the brand wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Feb. 12 alongside a video of their beloved mascot getting hit by a white Cybertruck. “Reward for whoever can identify the driver.”

Immediately after the collision, the video showed the owl’s eyes—which were once so full of life—as their pupils were replaced with X’s. The once-jubilant bird then ascended into the sky, then into space, and finally, what seemed to be the gates of an unforgiving afterlife.

“Please post any leads on Twitter,” the brand added. “Thank you for your patience with us during these trying times.”

At the time of Duo’s death, however, the brand insinuated that the incident may not have been a random twist of fate.

"Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully," the app shared across social media platforms the day of Duo’s death. "We're aware he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments."

And perhaps among Duo’s greatest enemies were the hundreds of language learners that neglected him every time he tried to remind them to maintain their daily streak in the app.

"Tbh,” the message continued, “he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know."

With this in mind, the statement went on to jokingly request fans to drop their credit card numbers in the comments of the post to “automatically sign” them up for Duolingo Max “in his memory.”

And many, within the Duolingo family and beyond, have spent the past 24 hours mourning the loss of a legend.

UPDATE: Reward for whoever can identify the driver. Please post any leads on Twitter.

Thank you for your patience with us during these trying times. #Ripduo pic.twitter.com/zv8QxtNh9E

— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 12, 2025

"For years, he tirelessly reminded millions to do their language lessons—sometimes with gentle nudges, sometimes with sheer, unhinged persistence," a Duolingo spokesperson told E! News in a statement. "But even the most relentless of birds can only take so much. Our app icon reflects this tragic loss with 'Dead Duo.' There is an ongoing investigation that we cannot comment on extensively at this time."

But beyond his love for multilingualism, Duo’s will always be remembered for his love for none other than Dua Lipa, concluding the message with, "We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa's privacy at this time."

And what may be the saddest part of Duo’s passing is that his once-unrequited love was met only after he had already crossed over the rainbow bridge.

“Til' death,” the “Levitating” singer wrote on X Feb. 11, reposting the announcement of Duo’s death, “duo part.”

While the world awaits the outcome of Duolingo’s latest stunt, keep reading for more surprising facts about beloved animated characters.

WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Hello Kitty Isn't a Cat

Many fans were left purrrrrfectly confused after this revelation.

“Hello Kitty is not a cat,” Jill Cook—an executive at Sanrio, the company behind the character—explained to Today July 18. “She’s actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs of London. She has a mom and dad and a twin sister Mimmy who’s also her best friend. She enjoys baking cookies and making new friends.”

While the news may have surprised some, Cook wasn’t the first to share this insight. As a matter of fact, Christine R. Yano—a professor of anthropology who penned the book Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific—had also previously confirmed that Hello Kitty isn’t a feline.

“Hello Kitty is not a cat,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 2014. “She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty.”

Other fun facts about Hello Kitty? According to Sanrio, she is five apples tall, weighs three apples, was born on November 1 (making her a Scorpio) and dreams of being a pianist or poet.

Noam Galai/WireImage

Goofy Isn't a Dog

Gawrsh! Did you know this fact?

Bill Farmer, who's provided the voice of Goofy for decades, explained why the Disney character can talk while Mickey Mouse's pet Pluto can't.

Goofy is "not a dog, but he's a canine," the voice actor said on an August 2024 episode of Popcorn Podcast with Leigh Livingstone and Tim Iffland. "So it's kind of like a wolf is not a dog but it's a canine—same thing. Goofus canis, that's what he is. Or, he's a MOG—he's a man-dog."

However, Pluto, he added, is a "regular dog"—a blood hound as it turns out.

Squidward Isn't a Squid

You'll want to get to the (bikini) bottom of this discovery.

SpongeBob SquarePants' creator Stephen Hillenburg once revealed that Squidward Tentacles is actually an octopus—not a squid.

"This is Squidward the Octopus, SpongeBob's grumpy next-door neighboor," he shared in the 2005 Case Of The Sponge 'Bob' video resurfaced by BuzzFeed. "I like the octopus for this character because they have such a large, bulbous head, and Squidward thinks he's an intellectual so, of course, he's going to have a large, bulbous head."

But if you're wondering how Squidward can be an octopus when he has only six legs instead of eight, Hillenburg had an answer for that, too—noting "it was really just easier for animation to draw him" with fewer tentacles.

Scott Gries/Getty Images

Blue From Blue's Clues Was Originally an Orange Cat

Break out your handy dandy notebook and jot this one down.

"One of the things that nobody knows is that Blue was originally a cat," the show's co-creator Angela Santomero said in the 2006 special Behind the Clues: 10 Years With Blue resurfaced by Mental Floss. "First his name was Mr. Orange and then we're like, 'Uh, maybe Mr. Blue.'"

But according to the special, Nickelodeon was already working on a series about a cat—leading animators to toss out the original idea and redesign Blue as a dog.

Everett/Shutterstock

Doug Was Almost Named Brian

Now this really isn’t funnie, er, funny.

But as it turns out, Doug Funnie from the cartoon series Doug was almost named Brian. As for what led to the change?

"I just thought Brian was too fancy of a name," Doug creator Jim Jinkins told HuffPost TV in 2014, "So, I geared it down, and started calling him Doug. If you think about what that sounds like, it sounds incredibly average, and that’s what I was trying to do: express from that point of view.”

Boo From Monsters, Inc. Isn’t Her Full Name

This fact is so good it’s scary.

In Monsters, Inc.: An Augmented Reality Book, the name of Boo—the little girl who accidentally ends up in Monstropolis and befriends monsters Mike and Sulley—is revealed to be Mary Gibbs, according to BuzzFeed. And if the name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the real-life moniker of the actress who provided the voice of Boo.

Need more proof? In the movie, there’s actually a scene where Boo is sorting through some of her drawings and fans can spot the name “Mary” scribbled at the top of one of the pieces of paper.

Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Minnie Mouse Has a Longer Moniker

Speaking of names, while Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend is often called Minnie Mouse, according to the BBC, it was revealed in 1942 that her full name is actually Minerva.

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