Meme Icon Doge, Kabosu, Passes Away

Kabosu, the Shiba Inu behind the famous "Doge" meme, has passed away at 14, her owner announced. The iconic dog, who became the face of Dogecoin and inspired countless online jokes, had been battling leukemia and liver disease. She died on May 24.

Kabosu Passes Away

Atsuko Sato shared on her blog that Kabosu, the Shiba Inu behind the famous "Doge" meme, passed away peacefully while being caressed. Sato expressed her gratitude to Kabosu's fans, saying, "Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world, and I was the happiest owner."

Rescued from a puppy mill, Kabosu's exact age was unknown, but Sato estimated her to be 18. In 2010, two years after adopting Kabosu, Sato, a teacher from Sakura, Japan, posted a photo of Kabosu crossing her paws on a sofa. The image quickly spread online, becoming a meme on Reddit and inspiring the Dogecoin cryptocurrency.

The meme, featuring humorous broken English to convey Kabosu's thoughts, gained massive popularity. The photo later became a $4 million NFT and inspired Dogecoin, now one of the top cryptocurrencies with a market value of $23 billion. Dogecoin has supporters like Snoop Dogg, Gene Simmons, and notably, Elon Musk, who frequently boosts its value with his tweets.

Kabosu was diagnosed with leukemia and liver disease in late 2022. Sato, 62, credited the "invisible power" of fans' prayers for helping Kabosu during her illness. In November last year, a $100,000 statue of Kabosu was unveiled in a Sakura park, crowdfunded by the crypto group Own The Doge. Sato and Own The Doge have donated over $1 million to Save the Children, marking the NGO's largest crypto donation.

Shiba Inu named Kabosu became an internet sensation

In 2010, a Shiba Inu named Kabosu became an internet sensation due to a photo where she looked skeptically into the camera. Atsuko Sato, a kindergarten teacher from Sakura near Tokyo, had adopted Kabosu from an animal shelter and shared the now-famous photo on her blog.

The image quickly spread across internet forums and social media, becoming a widely recognized meme. Kabosu's skeptical look became a staple in online discussions and jokes.

Kabosu's fame soon turned into a business venture when the digital currency Dogecoin adopted her image as its logo. In April, Elon Musk temporarily changed the Twitter logo to Kabosu's image, causing a sharp rise in Dogecoin's value.