Kabosu, the adored Shiba Inu who rose to internet stardom as the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, died at the age of 18. The announcement was made by her owner, Atsuko Sato, in an emotional blog post on Friday. Kabosu died peacefully in her sleep, ending her unexpected journey from family pet to global superstar.
Kabosu's ascent to fame began in 2010, when a photo of her with playfully crossed paws and a puzzled expression went viral. The image soon became one of the most recognizable memes from the early 2010s.
Her reputation skyrocketed in 2013 when software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer used her image to create Dogecoin, a satirical cryptocurrency designed to mock the then-emerging Bitcoin mania.
Much to their surprise, Dogecoin became quite popular, thanks in large part to Kabosu's irresistible appeal. The token's value skyrocketed in 2020 after Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a staunch supporter of cryptocurrencies, began tweeting about them.
Musk's enthusiasm for Dogecoin, which included temporarily replacing Twitter's iconic blue bird logo with an image of Kabosu, helped to catapult the cryptocurrency into the mainstream. Today, Dogecoin has a market capitalization of over $23.6 billion, making it the world's ninth-largest cryptocurrency.
The news of Kabosu's death sparked a flood of tributes from the cryptocurrency community and meme fans alike. "The impact this one dog has made across the world is immeasurable," said a tweet from the official Dogecoin account on X, the social media network that was previously known as Twitter. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also paid tribute on X.
