Duolingo Announces Its Beloved Owl Mascot Duo Is Dead (But Probably Not for Long)
"It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead," the company announced.
Published Feb. 11 2025, 1:46 p.m. ET
Who would've thought that Duolingo would one day announce that it's saying goodbye to a legend? Not us, that's for sure! On Feb. 11, 2025, the language learning company shared that its iconic owl mascot, dubbed "Duo," has unexpectedly died.
"It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead," the company shared in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
Here’s everything we know so far.
Duolingo has announced that its owl mascot is dead.
OK, hold up — before we all get carried away, it seems that Duolingo is just playing a prank! The whole "Duo is dead" thing is likely part of a new marketing campaign. What exactly that entails is still a mystery, but knowing Duolingo, we can expect something wild.
This isn't the first time the app has pulled a stunt. For April Fool's Day 2024, Duolingo teased that the owl was starring in its own multilingual, four-hour musical, Duolingo on Ice!. The company even shared fake ticket links and a that featured backup dancers wearing Duo masks and a series of over-the-top dance numbers.
In their "death" announcement, Duolingo joked, "Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death, and we are cooperating fully. Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know."
The company also quipped, "We're aware he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments. If you feel inclined to share, please also include your credit card number so we can automatically sign you up for Duolingo Max in his memory."
And of course, in true Duo fashion, they couldn't resist the urge to nod to the owl's famous unrequited love for pop star Dua Lipa, concluding with, We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa's privacy at this time."