Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo aka “Duo the Owl” was born in 1000 BC, but didn’t gain worldwide fame until 2012 when the Duolingo language learning app adopted him as their mascot. In his tenure as mascot, Duo has demonstrated an unerring ability to insert himself into the pulse of pop culture, as well as an undying love for singer Dua Lipa. As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, tragedy struck this week with the death of the neon green owl. Information has been sporadic, but it seems like a timeline is beginning to emerge: Tuesday morning Duolingo announced the passing of Duo K.R. Lingo, promising fans that authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding his shock demise. By Wednesday, Duolingo issued an update that the cause of death had been determined, and then later that day confirmed it was death by Tesla Cybertruck. Obviously more questions abound, but what shouldn’t be forgotten is that this is a time of deep mourning for Dua Lipa:
On Tuesday, language learning app Duolingo announced via X that their beloved green owl mascot Duo had died.
“It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved mascot, Duo the Owl,” a Duolingo spokesperson said in a statement. “For years, he tirelessly reminded millions to do their language lessons — sometimes with gentle nudges, sometimes with sheer, unhinged persistence. But even the most relentless of birds can only take so much.”
His untimely death was mourned on X by pop star Dua Lipa, a long unrequited love for the owl.
“Til’ death duo part,” Lipa wrote on Wednesday.
Playing on their similar names, the company has built a storyline around the owl thirsting after Lipa. “Over the years, we’ve built brand lore around Duo being in love with her (going so far as to propose outside her concert at Madison Square Garden), and we’re just as shocked (and honored) as anyone that she’s acknowledged his tragic fate,” a representative for Duolingo shared in a statement with CNN.
Whether his passing is yet another gimmick has yet to be seen. As many brands have opted in the TikTok age to give their corporate accounts more of an internet-savvy, first-person voice, none have gone so far as Duolingo.
Duo the Owl is snark-obsessed, dancing on the grave of rap star Drake, and butting his big green body into every relevant pop culture moment since he broke on the scene.
The tone of his death has been no different. In a TikTok posted Wednesday, the brand showed Duo being carried in a body bag by two other company mascots serving as pallbearers.
The caption, “guys duo died. btw I’m dead so i hope this is a sad song,” is displayed as a crass country tune plays in the background.
The death has been framed as maybe a murder, or at the very least an unexpected passing. On Wednesday, the company shared in a statement “UPDATE: Officials have identified cause of death. More details to follow. Thank you for holding space for Dualingo,” remixing his name to play on Lipa’s mourning.
As fans wait anxiously to see if the internet will be rid of — or robbed of — Duo’s unhinged online presence for good, they can at least rest easy with the knowledge that the one he loved most is mourning him all the same. Sorry, Callum Turner.
Yes, in a rare show of compassion from a corporation, Duolingo the app has taken great care to honor Dua Lipa at this emotional time. Not only did they thank fans “for holding space for Dualingo,” coining the official couple portmanteau, but in the company’s initial death announcement they acknowledged the singer in the last line: “We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.” Classy. It will be a long time before we get the full story, but there are theories. For example, in the wake of Drake’s defeat at Super Bowl LIX last Sunday, Duo took to his socials with a few cheeky taunts, including the epic “SAY DRAKE” post on Tuesday morning. That post was less than an hour before he was confirmed dead. Was Duo the Owl murdered, and was Drake behind it? Or is this another xenophobic act from President Elno? (They’re putting up a reward for any info on the Tesla Cybertruck driver, btw.) I’d say call in Benoit Blanc, but he’s a Netflix detective, and the streamer is another suspect who may have usedSquid Game to kill Duo!
In loving memory of Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo.
In lieu of flowers, please do a Duolingo lesson. pic.twitter.com/4CTl2Jc6Oe
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025
Til' death duo part 💔 https://t.co/XqVUTK5E0V
— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) February 12, 2025
We’ve heard from authorities the best way to channel your grief and unlock more about the investigation is to do your lesson.
Together, if we really try, we can bring Duo back. #RipDuo pic.twitter.com/nkEG840EHN
— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 12, 2025
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
Photos via Instagram/Dua Lipa for Puma, Twitter/Duolingo, Franck Castel/Avalon (Chanel Front Row, January 28, 2025)
I feel old, I have no idea what I just read.
This whole thing is weird and offputting, and I am a daily user of the app. But maybe it is my age?
The app has had some things this year that have gotten weird, like animations of Duo’s butt getting big and round as they admire it, or the measure of the year’s progress being framed as whether users did enough to be “safe” from Duo in 2025? (Like what, safe from their wrath?)
But the social media (which has almost nothing to do with language at all) is by far the weirdest. They’ve been all up in the anti-Drake stuff while posting random TikToks/reels, memes, and burns. I eventually just unfollowed because I didn’t get it and some of it seemed so out-there.
I’m not exactly old, just older than GenZ, but I have no idea what this trend is about or how it works. More power to them, I guess? Does it actually get more subscribers and daily users for the app?
I’ve been around long enough to know that a marketing campaign can feel so creative and buzzy that the companies don’t realize until it’s too late that they’ve damaged the brand. Some of the most popular and buzzy campaigns in history nearly destroyed the company in the end—remember the Taco Bell chihuahua?
me neither
plus, I couldn’t get pass the reality that Dua Lipa is still on Twitter considering it’s a Nazi hellsite full of people who want people like her harmed (and cheering on ethnic cleansing that she most certainly cannot think is OK)
I love Duolingo (the app) and have no idea why they are doing this. It feels like it’s random and in horribly poor taste.
My little kids use the app and love duo the owl. I hope regardless of whatever the fresh hell this is, he stays on the app.
Also – it’s a super weird tense time in my part of the world at the moment – I know that it’s almost global at this point and so many people have it so much worse – and I know this is supposed to be silly or funny or whatever – but it just feels really discordant and awful.
He’s still here, Friday morning. I just did 3 French lessons and he twirled after each one 😊
I didn’t get the update either on the app and I have a Valentine’s day themed challenge for February so I don’t think everybody got the update. It’s the strangest PR strategy.
I’m a daily duolingo user and while I don’t keep up with his online presence (unless he actually makes headlines) I’m very confused by this. He’s still there on the app and I don’t see why they’d replace him with a new mascot.
Unless it’s all a fake to get said headlines. Who knows, all I know is I’d better do todays Spanish practice.
SarahCS, same. I had no idea about this whole thing even though I have started using the app, and I am reminded to do my daily lessons. 😆
Us too! We have a 300+ day streak going!
I’m also a very frequent Duolingo user (I started daily Duolingo during the pandemic and am at almost 1700 days.) Also I’m old and so confused about why X claims that all of the mascots are dead but my app looks the same?
So much WTF with this one.
I really want someone to tell the DuoLingo PR team that the “edgy” content is really not as funny as they think it is.
Awwww! RIP Duolingo mascot, you have guided me through so many language lessons, and you’re just so cuuuuuuute. A reward-based algorithm that shows how it can be done right. I’ve recommended Duolingo so many times to family and friends!
I think whoever is in charge of their social media is a genius and Kismet this post is GOLD. Thank you so much for putting a smile on my face today 🙂
It’s seems that if enough people do their lessons the owl can be brought back, like Tinkerbell or Spock in Start Trek III.
I hate the new dead owl look on my screen. At first I thought I didn’t practice enough but the owl stays dead no matter what I do. It kinda put me off the courses, as silly as that sounds. But I just don’t want to click on a dead owl.
He’s still alive and well on mine, maybe I should actually shut the app but I don’t want to look at a busted chouette!
This is all light-hearted and silly, but the name Renee, spelled that way, is feminine. I have to ask why all mascots, including sports mascots, are by default masculine. When they are feminine, they are given cutesy names like “the Lady Bears” or “the Trojanettes”.
We should normalize neutral or even female until proven otherwise. Mascots are just fun, right, so why are the vast majority male? Surely no one will admit to examining the genitalia of a panther or a cardinal.
Equality begins in the benign, so let’s push back on the assumption that mascots are male by default. I would hope that men who play sports are secure enough in their masculinity to have a female mascot as their team rep.
I used Duo Lingo to get familiar with a new language before a trip, recently cancelled the paid version and figure I’d just do it occasionally, not caring if my ~650 day streak died.
But then my 12 year old niece friended me because she joined while she’s taking French at school. And I feel like I can’t let *her* down so every day I’m doing one or two lessons, the minimum for whatever mini-quest is going on. (They never pair me up with my sister or friends that I’d be all “sorry, you’re on your own this week” with – figures)
So every night I’m like:
“oh %>|*!?!” I’ve got to do a stupid DuoLingo lesson!”
I did turn off all their notifications though. Duo’s cute and all, but I don’t need that sass/energy blasting at me from my phone.
I kind of love the “killed by a cyber truck” icons if they use this as a way of going anti-MAGA and pro-DEI
Hahah truly wild ride here. I did not know of Duolingo’s lore, just have worked with him in a professional setting.
This is odd? I don’t use this app, so I’m not invested in the mascot. I guess it will just depend on how the long-term users react.
Lol I was wondering why the little icon changed
I’m just guessing this is a very creative and strategic way to announce they are coming up with a new logo and decided to give the owl logo a very sensational farewell online. I’ve never used Duolingo so was not aware of the lore surrounding the mascot but guessing this is what it’s all about. I have enjoyed the whole Dua Lipa thing and applaud her for embracing the whole thing.
It’s probably to distract from the fact that they fired a lot of translators in favor of using A.I instead. I deleted the app. I don’t really get why they think this is funny or cute. It’s just weird.