RIP ‘Doge’: Viral Shiba Inu Dies

KAbosu, the Japanese shiba inu who became famous as the face of the ‘doge’ meme and inspired one of the biggest cryptocurrencies, has died at the age of 18. She “passed away silently” while being cuddled by her owner, Atsuko Sato, who shared the news in a blog post on Friday.

Kabosu went viral in 2013, becoming one of the biggest memes of that year after a photo of her, taken in 2010, showed her looking sideways with her paws crossed in front of her. The iconic expression also spawned the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, and Kabosu was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Animals in 2016 and voted Meme of the Decade by the website Know Your Meme in 2019.

“Since Kabosu entered my home, a series of miraculous things have happened, enriching my life and gifting me with a treasure trove of priceless moments,” said Sato, a 62-year-old daycare teacher who adopted Kabosu from a nearby shelter. 2008, told the local newspaper Asahi Shimbun in February.

Kabosu has dealt with leukemia and liver disease, which led her to critical condition in 2022. A farewell party will be held for Kabosu on Sunday in the city of Narita, outside Tokyo, Sato said on social media.

Dogecoin, the Kabosu-inspired cryptocurrency launched in 2013, is widely considered the world’s first “meme coin.” Featuring a logo with Kabosu’s iconic expression, it is now one of the most popular cryptocurrencies and gained a huge boost after Elon Musk changed Twitter’s logo to Doge as a joke in April 2023.

On a post on X Paying tribute to Kabosu, Dogecoin said: “The impact this dog has made across the world is immeasurable.” The company also announced which would release a limited NFT collection in honor of Kabosu for free. (In 2021, a Doge NFT sold for a record $4 million.)

Since going viral, Kabosu has become something of a local legend. According to Sato, visitors from all over the world would come to his home in Chiba Prefecture to see the shiba inu. And last November, a bronze statue of Kabosu, funded by donations from his fans, was unveiled in his hometown.

In 2021, seven photos of Kabosu were auctioned for more than 500 million yen ($3.2 million) – the proceeds of which were donated to children’s organizations in Japan and elsewhere.

Kabosu’s death arrives less than a year later the headquarters in Hong Kong Cheems Balltze, another shiba inu loved by the internet. Kabosu and Cheems used to appear together in another popular meme, Swole Doge vs..

“Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years,” Sato he wrote on Friday. “I’m sure Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world. That makes me the happiest owner in the world.”