Duo Has Risen
Written by Linnea Sheneman. Graphic by Linnea Sheneman.
On the tragic day of February 11th the Duolingo owl, lovingly called Duo by those who knew him passed away. In a TikTok video Duo was struck down by a Cyber Truck, and the community of Duo supporters has rallied around him posting videos of mourning and support. The list of organizations and companies who spoke out about the loss of Duo includes: The World Health Organization, Netflix, Chipotle, and many others. Since then the app icon has shown beloved Duo with x’s for eyes, and the company has been selling Duo plushies that come with a small coffin. Although morbid, the support and encouragement of the Duolingo user base and other companies across social media have been outstanding. For the past few weeks, there has been a lot of speculation and debate as to why Duo passed away, and who should be held responsible for this tragedy.
Those deep in mourning for Duo were shocked and relieved this past Monday, February 24th, when Duo was shown rising from his coffin, stating that “Legends never die” and that “faking my death was the test and you all passed”. What is the meaning of all of this? Duolingo has also stated that 50 billion XP learning points on the language learning app are what brought Duo back to the realm of living. Was this all a ploy to increase user engagement? Would our beloved Duo really do that to us?
Some may say that this was a marketing ploy by the Duolingo company, using their mascot as motivation to get users back on the app and learning languages. This PR stunt also brings Duo back into the pop culture spotlight, with companies and celebrities alike mourning him and discussing him. However, contrary to popular belief I think this wasn’t just a marketing scheme but a modern-day tale of tragedy, woe, and resurrection. Duo has risen again, what about your XP levels? Make sure to do your lesson today in honor of Duo, he’s been through a lot recently.
