Duolingo kills off mascot Duo as marketing stunt sets off social media frenzy

Duolingo’s unhinged owl mascot Duo has frequently threatened death (jokingly, of course) to those who fail to complete their language lessons on the Duolingo app. But today, it’s Duo who has died, according to the brand, as part of its latest in-house social media marketing stunt. Duolingo announced the death of its green owl mascot across its social media channels on Tuesday morning, writing, “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Duolingo (@duolingo) “Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully,” the learning app’s announcement states, adding, “We’re aware he had many enemies.” A few hours after announcing Duo's death, Duolingo posted a video of the owl’s “funeral,” showing mascots Zari and Lily placing Duo's coffin in the back of a pickup truck. The brand’s Instagram post announcing the death received nearly half a million likes at the time of writing. Duo is one of the most popular brand mascots on social media and is no stranger to pulling off marketing stunts, including a viral TikTok stunt at a Charlie XCX concert last September. Why Duolingo is an Ad Age Marketer of the Year A Duolingo spokesperson elaborated on Duo’s passing, telling Ad Age in an email: “We can confirm the statements in our recent social posts are true. It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved mascot, Duo the Owl. 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.” Like Duolingo’s social media announcement, the Duolingo spokesperson also indicated Duo’s death likely wasn’t due to natural causes or an unfortunate accident. “There is an ongoing investigation that we cannot comment on extensively at this time,” the spokesperson said. “We know no owl as dedicated as Duo just drops dead without a story. Keep an eye on our social channels as we uncover the shocking (and possibly absurd) truth behind his untimely demise.” Duolingo is handling the campaign in-house, which is where most of the brand’s short-form social content from its global account comes from, the spokesperson said. Duolingo’s post also states, “We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time, a nod to Duo's one-sided affection for the similarly-named pop star. @duolingo RIP DUO #duolingo ♬ Dixon Dallas Good Lookin - Jake Hill While Duo may be dead, Duolingo’s social team has been actively responding to dozens of comments from social media users and brands, whose reactions have ranged from shock and sorrow to jubilation. Duolingo has signaled to multiple commenters on Instagram and TikTok that Canadian rapper Drake is “responsible” for its mascot’s death with responses including, “Investigators are checking into a Canadian lead” and “Authorities are looking into a Canadian rapper currently.” This comes after Duolingo repeatedly mocked the rapper on social media following Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, during which Lamar performed his Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” One of Duolingo’s most viral posts of the night nodded to the line, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” which in Lamar’s song refers to both the literal musical chord and allegations against Drake that have made the rounds of the internet. (Drake has sued Universal Music Group for defamation over its release of “Not Like Us.”). @duolingo learn A minor in our music course #duolingo #duolingomusic #superbowl #fyp ♬ Download Duolingo Music - Duolingo Duo’s death isn’t the first time a brand mascot has died as part of a marketing stunt. In 2020, Planters killed off its mascot Mr. Peanut as part of its pre-Super Bowl campaign before debuting a new mascot, “Baby Nut,” during its in-game ad. The brand later adjusted the campaign following the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. As was the case when Mr. Peanut died, dozens of brands are already mourning Duo’s unexpected death, largely in the comments sections of Duolingo’s posts. “Gone but never forgotten,” NYX Cosmetics commented on Instagram, while Bath & Body Works wrote, “this one hurt.” In the top comment on Duolingo’s Instagram post, Scrub Daddy—which previously collaborated with Duolingo on a video of Duo giving birth to green owl-shaped sponges—begged, “duo, pls, i’m not ready to be a single father.” Other brands appear far less upset by Duo’s death. Sour Patch Kids, for instance, commented “bye bird” on Duolingo’s X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram posts. The Empire State Building, meanwhile, simply wrote “Good” when it reposted Duolingo’s death announcement on X. Good. https://t.co/Mo9bteh8fh— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) February 11, 2025

Duolingo kills off mascot Duo as marketing stunt sets off social media frenzy

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