Language learning platform Duolingo is currently in the midst of a murder investigation — with the victim being its very own mascot. The company announced Tuesday that the owl, known as Duo, was dead. “Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully. Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know,” the company said in its announcement.
The company hinted that the owl may have been murdered, stating that he had “many enemies.” It asked mourners to “please do a Duolingo lesson” in honor of Duo. A subsequent announcement on Wednesday noted that a cause of death had been identified, but mentioned no further details.
This isn’t the first time Duolingo’s marketing team has caused its mascot to suffer for a publicity stunt. Duo was sickened for a while in the fall of last year, and in October 2023 his profile picture showed him melting. This latest malady will be much more difficult for him to recover from though.
