What's behind the death of the Duolingo mascot

CBC

14-02-2025

Death all part of a stunt to get brand attention, says expert
⭐️HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
Duolingo said that its iconic mascot, Duo, died.
That being said, the company says it's not the last we'll see of the owl.
An expert in public relations says this is a classic marketing stunt.
Read on to find out why she thinks it could be good for the brand. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
If you went onto language-learning app Duolingo today to brush up on your Spanish, you may have shed a tear in the process.
You would have noticed the iconic owl mascot isn't looking so good.
He has Xs where his eyes should be.
On Feb. 11, Duolingo announced in a tweet that Duo the owl had died unexpectedly.
The social media announcement has been viewed more than 50 million times on X (formerly Twitter) already, and one expert says that's exactly the point.
Brands pull stunts to pull focus
Toronto-based Courtney Khimji, founder of the public relations agency Chimera Collective, said that brands are always looking for new ways to get more eyes on their products.
Sometimes, like in the case of Duolingo, they take big swings.
'It's a classic PR stunt. They've made a really bold move. Not everyone is going to like it, but it's obviously caught the media's attention globally,' she told CBC Kids News.
The Mr. Peanut brand pulled a similar marketing stunt to Duolingo back in 2020 when it announced that Mr. Peanut had died. (Image credit:)
Khimji said she thinks it could be part of a rebrand by Duolingo, which can be a good way for companies to 'freshen things up,' with the ultimate goal of making more money.
#RIPeanut: Mr. Peanut has died at age 104
'The Duolingo owl has been the cornerstone of their brand identity and personality, and to do away with that clearly signals a big new move,' she said.
She said the fact that we don't yet know what happened to the owl creates a sense of anticipation among the audience and sets up a possible rebrand.
On Thursday, Duolingo used social media to reveal that their characters Falstaff, Lily and Zari had also died and said that app users could bring Duo the mascot back to life by doing their daily language lesson.
In Duolingo, users are encouraged to take daily lessons to build a streak, earn points and progress on leaderboards.
So whether or not a rebrand happens, Duolingo is already using the marketing campaign to get users to spend more time in the app.
In an email to CBC Kids News, a spokesperson from Duolingo said: 'Duo's story isn't over yet.'
'What exactly happened to him? Well, that's a mystery we'll be unraveling over the next couple of weeks.'
What can kids learn from this?
If you bought into Duolingo's announcement without considering that it could be a marketing stunt, you're probably not alone.
That's why Khimji said it's important for kids to develop critical thinking — to make a habit of questioning what they see before they make a decision about it.
'It's important for kids now more than ever to learn what's real and what's not, since it's becoming increasingly harder in the world of AI and deepfakes.'
She said doing that is all about asking the right questions.
Namely, what is the motivation behind this brand's advertisement, announcement or other action?
'Brands aren't just trying to tell a story to benefit consumers. They're doing it for themselves, and that's OK, but you need to question why,' Khimji said.