On February 11, Duolingo shared “an important message” on X (formerly Twitter), announcing the passing of Duo, the brand’s mascot owl. The post ended unexpectedly by mentioning Dua Lipa as they word-played using the pop star’s name to Duo. Dua Lipa reshared Duolingo’s post with “Til’ death duo part” and a broken heart emoji.
Duolingo, the globally renowned language learning platform, is famous for its dramatic messages. Though it uses various characters, The Duolingo Owl — famously known as Duo — was its mascot.
Abiding by their theatrical tendencies, the company pulled an unanticipated move by sharing an “obituary post” on Tuesday. They took to X (formerly Twitter) and announced that Duo had unexpectedly passed away.
Ending playfully, the write-up said, “We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.” This was an unexpected twist to the “in memoriam” post but it allowed netizens to share their hilarious reactions in the comment section. One wrote, “$DUO x DUA,” while others flooded the comments with Dua Lipa’s reaction memes as a tribute to the pop star’s unforeseen mention.
Dua responded to the tweet with “Til’ death duo part,” giving the situation an iconic closing moment. According to one of the Duolingo representatives who addressed the situation with CNN, the tweet was as surprising for the company as it was for the netizens. As such, it was organic — neither scripted nor a paid collaboration.
Besides having similar names, Dua Lipa and Duo share a lesser-known history, which the Duolingo representative reiterated. He reminded the audience of Duo’s unrequited love for Dua Lipa, and how he proposed to her outside her concert in Madison Square Garden. Duo’s desperate attempts at wooing Dua became one of Duolingo’s famous strategies to attract attention.
Duolingo’s X post also mentioned that the cause of Duo’s death was unknown. However, it did state that “he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson.” Speaking with CNN, the representative for Duolingo said, “Duo might be dead, but our brand is very much alive (and still as unhinged as ever).” Hence, the lessons and reminders will still be there to keep the learners engaged and motivated.