Duo the owl mascot revived. Duolingo declares, "legends never die."
The owl mascot for Pittsburgh-based Duolingo is not dead after all, according to social media posts by the organization.
At least two posts appeared on the company's social media accounts on Monday, declaring "Legends never die" and "Duo is back."
The green owl has become a memeable internet sensation for the way some users of the language learning app think he threatens them to do their lessons.
Over the last two weeks, Duolingo has posted multiple times to their social media accounts mourning Duo and their other cast of characters, including Falstaff the bear.
Duo said, "faking my death was the test and you all passed."
Turns out, Duo's death may have just been a ploy to get Duolingo users back on the app to do their language lessons.
In a social media post last week, the company said 50 billion XP, or learning points, were needed to revive the owl. And that's just what happened as thousands returned to their language learning lessons to collectively bring the mascot back to life.
The saga of Duo's reported death
The saga began on Feb. 11 with an "important announcement" from the company posted to the social media platform X.
"It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead," the statement read.
Duolingo said "authorities" were investigating his cause of death and the company was cooperating.
"Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know," the statement said. "We are 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."
In a statement to KDKA-TV, a spokesperson confirmed that Duo is in fact dead as part of a brand marketing campaign.
The plot thickened a day later when Duolingo posted a video to social media asking for help identifying the driver of a Tesla Cybertruck that hit the owl mascot in a parking lot, launching it up into the sky and apparently past the gates of hell.
"Please post any leads on Twitter," Duolingo wrote, adding, "Thank you for your patience with us during these trying times."
Duolingo says it has embraced a "wholesome and unhinged" brand tone after its green owl mascot turned into an internet sensation.
"Our mascot was initially designed to encourage regular practice. But once the internet got their hands on him, he grew into a more complicated — even menacing — character with his own lore. He's still cute and cuddly. But he's also willing to temporarily relocate your family to ensure you finish your lessons," the company wrote in its handbook.
