Duolingo's Owl Is Dead, But You Can Help Bring Him Back - Here's How

Whether or not you've used Duolingo, one of the best language learning apps, you've likely noticed its unhinged marketing strategy, which often revolves around dark humor, like emotionally blackmailing users into doing their lessons. The blackmail isn't always playful, and sometimes gets a little threatening in a tongue-in-cheek way. For instance, in August 2024, Duolingo took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a meme with the text, "End your streak and I'll end you." This style of marketing largely centers around its iconic green owl mascot, Duo.

It was all fun and games until last week when things took an interesting turn. On February 11, 2025, the company announced the demise of Duo, the company's owl mascot. Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo was born in 1000 BC, making him over 3,000 years old at the time of his passing.  A day later, Duolingo posted a video showing the mascot being hit by a Tesla Cybertruck (which, despite its role in killing a cartoon owl, has a lot of cool features you might not know about) in a parking lot. After the impact, Duo floated up into the clouds, eventually reaching space, followed by what appeared to be the gates of hell.

While the driver of the Tesla remains unidentified, Duolingo has thanked users for their patience and shared that they are investigating. The company urged users to post any leads and promised a reward for whoever identifies the "killer." The initial announcement also included a playful joke asking users to comment their credit card numbers to be automatically signed up for Duolingo Max in Duo's memory. According to CBS News, a Duolingo spokesperson later clarified that users should definitely not post their credit card information, confirming that Duo's "death" is part of a brand marketing campaign. That said, there now seems to be a way to potentially bring Duo back, and you can help.

In the initial post announcing Duo's death, Duolingo stated, "Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know." On February 12, Duolingo shared an "in memorium" poster for Duo, captioning it, "In lieu of flowers, please do a Duolingo lesson". The very next day, they claimed that "authorities" had informed them that the best way to learn more about the ongoing investigation was to do lessons. They ended the post with, "Together, if we really try, we can bring Duo back."

Can you see the pattern here? The company seems to be hinting that the only way to revive the mascot is by keeping up with your lessons. That motive was confirmed on February 18, when Duolingo shared yet another post, announcing they had discovered a new lead. They urged users to "contribute where they see fit" and linked to a website titled "Duo needs your help."

Once you visit the site, you're greeted with a visual of the dead mascot lying on the ground with X's on his eyes, alongside the text "It's Duo or Die!" As expected, you're asked to play your part in reviving the owl by doing Duolingo lessons. A total of 50 billion XP is needed to bring Duo back. The webpage also warns that time is running out and features a leaderboard titled "Top 15 countries saving Duo," with the U.S., Germany, and China at the top of the leaderboard. When you scroll to the bottom, you'll find a conveniently placed "Do Your Lesson" button, which you can use to earn XP and bring back the slain owl.