Why? So people will talk about it. Duolingo reportedly sickened its owl icon to garner attention, therefore getting people to talk about the platform. It’s a simple marketing strategy, and it isn’t the first time they’ve done it either. In October 2023 they did something similar, altering the app icon so the owl appeared to be melting.
Why does the Duolingo owl suddenly look like it’s sick?
Answer: So people will talk about it.
![Closeup of someone reaching to tap the Duolingo app on a smartphone.](https://erepublic.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/55e9180/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x521+0+73/resize/840x438!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ferepublic-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fdb%2Faf%2F3acf804e4ec6a138c205e29d0710%2Fduolingo.jpg)
Shutterstock/Konstantin Savusia
Duolingo hasn’t been in the news lately, and the company’s owl mascot is sick of it. Literally. Many people started noticing recently that the chipper green owl whose face appears on Duolingo’s app icon was looking, well, not himself. In fact, he looks like he needs some serious cold medicine and a few days’ bed rest.
Why? So people will talk about it. Duolingo reportedly sickened its owl icon to garner attention, therefore getting people to talk about the platform. It’s a simple marketing strategy, and it isn’t the first time they’ve done it either. In October 2023 they did something similar, altering the app icon so the owl appeared to be melting.
The owl will supposedly be back to his usual self before too long, but if you’re sick of his poorly appearance (pun intended) you can change it if you’re a Super Duolingo or Duolingo Max subscriber.
Why? So people will talk about it. Duolingo reportedly sickened its owl icon to garner attention, therefore getting people to talk about the platform. It’s a simple marketing strategy, and it isn’t the first time they’ve done it either. In October 2023 they did something similar, altering the app icon so the owl appeared to be melting.