A sad version of the 'doge' meme, featuring Kabosu. Created using imgflip.com
The beloved Japanese
Shiba Inu named
Kabosu, known for inspiring the famous "
doge meme," has passed away at the age of 18. Kabosu had been battling cholangiohepatitis and chronic lymphoma leukaemia since 2022.
Kabosu's owner,
Atsuko Sato, shared the sad news of the dog's passing in a blog post today. "She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her," Sato wrote, expressing gratitude to fans for their love and support.
The
Doge meme originated from a series of photos taken by Sato of Kabosu, her adopted rescue. These photos were initially posted on Sato's personal blog in early 2010. One particular image, featuring Kabosu with her head slightly tilted, legs crossed and a subtle smirk, became the cornerstone of the Doge meme.
The meme gained widespread popularity in 2013, especially on platforms like Tumblr and Reddit. In the meme, Kabosu's photo is accompanied by colourful text in Comic Sans font, portraying an internal monologue often written in playful, broken English. The meme is renowned for its humorous and quirky captions, featuring phrases like "wow," "so scare" and "much cold."
In addition to her
meme fame, Kabosu served as the inspiration behind the creation of
Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency. Introduced in 2013 with Kabosu's image as its logo, Dogecoin started as a lighthearted joke among crypto enthusiasts but quickly rose to become one of the prominent cryptocurrencies in use today.
Dogecoin paid homage to Kabosu on social media, acknowledging her significant impact on their community and the world. As a tribute, Dogecoin also released a limited
NFT collection, free of charge, in honour of Kabosu.
A farewell gathering for Kabosu is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, at Flower Kaori in Kotsu no Mori, Narita City, Japan.
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