Kabosu, Dog Who Inspired Dogecoin Dies at 18

Kabosu, the dog that became the face of Dogecoin cryptocurrency died on Friday in her sleep after 14 years of internet fame.

Its owner, Atsuko Sato revealed the 18-year-old dog behind the “doge” meme “fell into a deep sleep” on Friday morning.

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Kabosu Moved the Internet

According to her owner, Kabosu had been battling liver disease and leukemia since 2022 resulting in her demise on May 24. In a recent interview with AFP, Sato also thanked fans for their “invisible prayers” that helped Kabosu pull through.

“She quietly passed away in her sleep while I caressed her,” said Sato in a blogpost, as she also thanked the dog’s fans.

I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner.

Sato

Although Kabosu’s real birthday was unknown, Sato, a teacher from Sakura, east of Tokyo estimated the rescue dog was 18.

Tweets by EthKabosu

Sato adopted the dog in 2008 from a puppy mill. Two years later, Sato took a picture of Kabosu crossing her paws on a sofa with a quizzical expression and posted it on her blog.

Kabosu became the most recognized animal as the picture spread on online platforms like Reddit where it became a meme that spread “from college bedrooms to office email chains.”

The memes used “goofy broken English” to express the dog’s inner thoughts.

Later, the picture became an NFT digital artwork, which sold for $4 million. It later inspired Dogecoin, which started as a joke by two software engineers.

Dogecoin, which has received backing from hip-hop star Snoop Dogg and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has grown to become the eighth most valuable cryptocurrency. It has a total market value of $23 billion.

Musk Throws Weight Behind the “Doge”

Tech billionaire and X platform owner Elon Musk is one of its most keen supporters hailing it as “the people’s crypto.”

In May 2021, Musk polled his followers on whether Tesla should accept cryptocurrency as payments. A month later, cryptocurrencies’ popularity increased, and demand for Dogecoin surged that “it briefly broke” the trading system of the stock trading and investing platform Robinhood.

A year later, Musk changed the then Twitter icon to Kabosu’s face, and Sato said she “wasn’t even that surprised,” as she had become used to “unbelievable” events.

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A crypto organization dedicated to the meme Own the Doge crowdfunded a $100,000 statue of Kabosu and her sofa and unveiled it in November last year in a park in Sakura.

According to the BBC, the 62-year-old Sato and the Doge donated huge sums of money to international charities, including over a million dollars to Save the Children.

The NGO revealed that this is “the single largest crypto contribution” it has ever received. Sato will hold a “farewell gathering” on Sunday.

Cryptopolitan Reporting by Enacy Mapakame