Duolingo's make-believe owl mascot Duo dies by Cybertruck in new TikTok
After hours of nail-biting agony, Duolingo users finally have answers to how the brand's beloved make-believe owl mascot named Duo "died" on Tuesday afternoon.
The language-learning app shard a video to Duolingo's TikTok Wednesday showing what appears to be a Tesla Cybertruck ramming into Duo in a parking lot, following by an animated explosion. Duo is then seen transcending through the sky, space and ultimately what appears to be hell.
"Reward for whoever can identify the driver. Please post any leads on TikTok. Thank you for your patience with us during these trying times. #RIPduo," Duolingo said in the TikTok post.
Duolingo did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment about Duo's demise.
Duolingo announced Duo's death on its social media channels on Tuesday afternoon, resulting in an array of internet mourning from big-name brands and users.
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How is the internet reacting?
Within less than 25 minutes of the news being shared to TikTok, more than 4,000 users had shared their reactions in the video's comments.
"Why did the chicken cross the road," the top comment on the video read, as of Wednesday morning. In response, Duolingo commented back, "We'll never know."
Many commenters remarked at how the video appeared so quickly on their feeds.
"53 seconds ago. I need to stop stalking this poor owl and go sleep," one user commented.
Why did Duo die?
Users may be wondering why the brand killed off its famous mascot, but the answer remains unknown. USA TODAY has reached out to Duolingo for more information.
However, Duolingo is popularly known for its quirky advertising campaigns and meme content, so Duo's death could mean big news is coming for the app.
Who was Duo the Owl?
Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo, more commonly known as Duo the Owl, was born in 1000 BC, according to an X post made by Duolingo on Tuesday. The animated green owl is known for reminding users to complete their daily lessons.
While Duolingo jokes its mascot was born in 1000 BC, Duo actually debuted in 2011, the year the app launched, according to Apple Developer. The original Duolingo logo featured a 2-D owl whose eyes and mouth spelled out "DUO." A year later, the first 3-D version of Duo was released with a realistic owl body and two wide eyes that stared right into a user's soul.
In 2014, Duolingo decided to "gamify" their mascot, making him cuter and more animated, according to Apple Developer. By 2018, the Duo the Owl users know and love (or fear) was released.
In recent years, Duo grew increasingly popular as he parodied pop culture references, appeared in outrageous memes and even partnered with Netflix to promote "Squid Game."
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
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