Kabosu, Dog Who Inspired Dogecoin Dies at 18

Kabosu, the Face of Dogecoin, Passes Away

Kabosu, the beloved Shiba Inu who became the face of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday at the age of 14.

Internet Star

Her owner, Atsuko Sato, announced the heartbreaking news on her blog, stating that Kabosu "fell into a deep sleep" on Friday morning. The 18-year-old dog had been battling liver disease and leukemia since 2022.

Sato expressed her gratitude to Kabosu's fans for their unwavering support throughout her life. "She quietly passed away in her sleep while I caressed her," she wrote, adding, "I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner."

Meme Inspiration

Kabosu's true birthday remains unknown, but Sato, a teacher from Sakura, east of Tokyo, estimated her age at 18. In 2008, Sato rescued Kabosu from a puppy mill. Two years later, she captured a now-iconic photo of Kabosu crossing her paws on a sofa with a quizzical expression and posted it on her blog.

The image quickly spread across online platforms like Reddit, becoming a viral meme that "spread from college bedrooms to office email chains." The memes featured "goofy broken English" to express the dog's inner thoughts.

Dogecoin Genesis

Kabosu's image later became an NFT digital artwork, which sold for $4 million. It also inspired the creation of Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that began as a joke by two software engineers.

Dogecoin, which has gained support from celebrities such as Snoop Dogg and Gene Simmons, has grown to become the eighth most valuable cryptocurrency, with a total market value of $23 billion.

Elon Musk's Endorsement

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has been a vocal supporter of Dogecoin, referring to it as "the people's crypto." In May 2021, Musk polled his followers on whether Tesla should accept Dogecoin as payment.

A year later, Musk changed the then Twitter icon to Kabosu's face, an event that Sato said she had become accustomed to as "unbelievable" events became commonplace.

Legacy of Giving

A crypto organization dedicated to the Doge meme, Own the Doge, crowdfunded a $100,000 statue of Kabosu and her sofa, which was unveiled in November 2022 in a park in Sakura.

According to the BBC, Sato and the Doge have donated significant sums of money to international charities, including over a million dollars to Save the Children. The NGO revealed that this was "the single largest crypto contribution" it had ever received.

Sato will hold a "farewell gathering" for Kabosu on Sunday.