Internet icon Kabosu, the ‘Doge’ meme dog, dies at 18

WEB DESK: Kabosu, the Japanese Shiba Inu whose photo sparked a wave of online memes and inspired the $23-billion Dogecoin cryptocurrency, died on Friday, her owner, Atsuko Sato, announced.

Sato shared on her blog that Kabosu “quietly passed away as if asleep” while being comforted. “I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner,” Sato wrote.

Kabosu, a rescue dog of unknown age, was estimated to be 18 years old, which is beyond the average lifespan for her breed. Her celebrated birthday was in November.

In 2010, two years after adopting Kabosu from a puppy mill, Sato posted a photo of her dog with crossed paws and a charming expression on her blog. The image quickly went viral on Reddit, evolving into the beloved “Doge” meme, known for its humorous broken English captions depicting the inner thoughts of Kabosu and other Shiba Inus.

The meme’s popularity soared, leading to its transformation into an NFT digital artwork that sold for $4 million. It also inspired Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency created as a joke by two software engineers, which now ranks as the eighth-most valuable cryptocurrency with a market capitalisation of $23 billion.

Dogecoin has garnered support from various celebrities, including Elon Musk, who frequently promotes it on social media, causing its value to fluctuate.

Kabosu’s legacy extended beyond memes and cryptocurrency. She fell ill with leukaemia and liver disease in late 2022, but Sato credited the “invisible power” of fans’ prayers for her recovery. Sato, accustomed to “unbelievable” events, was not surprised when Musk once changed the Twitter icon to Kabosu’s face.

In November last year, a $100,000 statue of Kabosu and her sofa, funded by the crypto organisation Own the Doge, was unveiled in a park in Sakura.

Both Sato and Own the Doge have made significant charitable contributions, including over $1 million to Save the Children, marking the largest crypto donation the NGO has received.

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