RIP Duo, the Duolingo owl. Why would the company kill its own mascot?

One of the world's most famous cartoon owls got its heavenly wings this week after language-learning platform Duolingo announced the death of its beloved avian mascot.

"Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully," it said Tuesday on social media. "Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know."

Duo — full name Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo — was born in 1000 BC, according to Duolingo. He has been the wise and witty face of the company since its creation in 2011, motivating-slash-pestering users to do their daily language lessons.

His tendency to guilt-trip, at times in a vaguely threatening way, made him a meme in 2017, and his popularity has soared ever since.

In recent years the bright green, big-eyed owl — both in animated and costumed form — has become a social media star, hopping on viral trends and even creating running bits of his own, like his love of similarly-named pop star Dua Lipa ("my other half") and his beef with Duolingo's legal team.

"We know he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments," Duolingo said in its announcement, instead jokingly encouraging people to share their credit card information so it could sign them up for its premium subscription service "in his memory."

Duolingo's bold choice to lean into the snarky side of the owl has paid off considerably, says Matt Williams, a visiting clinical professor at the Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary.

"They've done an amazing job at doing what brands are all trying to do, which is creating a personality that breaks through this hugely cluttered media landscape that we live in, that people either love or hate," Williams tells NPR. "And that polarization is part of the point because that's what gets people talking about this."

News of Duo's death was greeted with shock and sadness by social media users, many of whom replied asking the company to restore their lost daily streaks. Condolences even came from prominent institutions like the European Space Agency and World Health Organization (which ruled out smallpox as the cause of death, "because the disease has been eradicated since 1980").

In lieu of flowers, Duolingo urged people to do their daily lesson.

Williams — the former CEO of the Martin Agency, whose creations include the GEICO Gecko — sees Duo's abrupt demise and the mystery unfurling around it as part of a broader strategic decision.

It could be that Duolingo is hoping to capture peoples' interest in the lead-up to a big announcement like a product launch, or just trying to keep itself in the conversation at a time when there's a lot to talk about.

"Killing the owl off is a big move to get attention," Williams says. "Smart money says he's going to get resurrected in some way. And the question is, can they do that in a way that feels consistent with the story they've built around the owl? Or do they end up doing it in a way that gets soap-opera-resurrection eyeroll?"

Duo's demise has taken off online

After announcing Duo's death, Duolingo updated its app store and social media profiles to give the avatar crossed-out eyes and a lolling tongue. It posted a TikTok of other Duolingo characters, Lily and Zari, carrying Duo's coffin to the truck bed and sprinkling it with rose petals.

Then, the saga continued.

On Tuesday, Duolingo said in a cryptic tweet, "We are investigating Jimmy." On Wednesday, it said officials had identified Duo's cause of death.

It later shared a video of a Tesla Cybertruck slamming into the owl in a parking lot, launching it into the literal heavens. The post offered a reward to whoever could identify the driver (who is not visible in the shot).

Williams says the company is creating "storylines within storylines," and suspects it is watching to see which ones take off and then will lean into those. It's not unusual for brands to improvise that way, he says.

"I think it's more like jazz than classical when these things start to happen," he adds. "So my bet is the Duolingo folks have a pretty good idea of where the story's going to go, but they're going to be adaptive enough to respond to what they hear back from the engagement that they get in social media."

One notable aspect of the social media reaction has been the outpouring of condolences from other brands.

The TikTok announcing Duo's death has dozens of comments from companies' corporate accounts, including Hilton ("this is not a suite feeling"), Kleenex UK ("I think we all need a tissue"), Hallmark ("our deepest sympathies"), Pop-Tarts ("fly high, wise one"), Utz Snacks ("pouring out some chips for you") and Meow Mix ("MY CAT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE").

Others, like Chipotle, Netflix and Xbox, reacted to the news on Twitter. Duo even got a shoutout from his jokingly unrequited love interest, Dua Lipa, who tweeted, "Til' death duo part."

Williams says the outpouring shows that brands "believe that the owl has caught on to something, and they don't want to miss the opportunity to participate in it." Likewise, each comment offers Duolingo another opportunity to engage.

"So if I'm Duolingo, the more brands jump into this conversation, whether they're for profit or not for profit, the happier I am, because … I have more ways to evolve the story," he explains.

Isa Foltin / Hoermanseder via Getty Images

/

Hoermanseder via Getty Images

Will Duo — or some version of him — come back?

On Wednesday, Duolingo tweeted a screenshot a screenshot of the app that offered a ray of hope: A "February challenge" enticing users to "Bring Duo back to life!"

The image shows a set of specially-themed daily quests (a set of random challenges) that users can complete to do things like help pay for Duo's coffin and learn how he died. It's not clear if the quests are actually available to users.

"We've heard from authorities the best way to channel your grief and unlock more about the investigation is to do your lesson," it wrote. "Together, if we really try, we can bring Duo back."

Duo wouldn't be the first corporate mascot to get killed off and later revived.

In 2020, Planters released an ad showing Mr. Peanut sacrificing himself to save his human co-stars after the Nutmobile swerved off a cliff. Days later, during a Super Bowl commercial set at his funeral, the mascot was reborn as Baby Nut, thanks to the freely flowing tears of the Kool-Aid Man.

Reception to the reincarnation situation was mixed at the time. Williams says it could serve as a warning of what's at stake for Duolingo if it chooses to bring Duo back.

"The question is, how do you do it in a way that builds on the momentum and the attention and feels like it's consistent with what you'd expect from the way the owl's been managed over the last decade," he says, "or whether it just feels kind of goofy and silly and doesn't feel consistent with the presence of the Duolingo owl."

Williams says there's no single trope or plotline that Duolingo should steer clear of — it's more about telling the next chapter of its story in a way that stays true to Duo's well-defined personality and role within the brand. And he's optimistic it will.

"They've been really artful in the way they've handled the character of the owl," he adds. "And I expect that'll continue wherever the story goes."

Copyright 2025 NPR