Kabosu, the Shiba Inu who inspired the viral “Doge” meme and the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, passed away on Friday.
“Today, Kabosu, our community’s shared friend and inspiration, peacefully passed in the arms of her person,” the official Dogecoin account wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “She was a being who knew only happiness and limitless love,” the announcement continued.
The Dogecoin team highlighted Kabosu’s global impact, stating that her influence was immeasurable. They urged the community to carry forward her legacy and to keep her spirit and family in their hearts. “We are all fortunate for hers to have touched and shaped ours,” the post concluded.
Kabosu rose to fame as the face of the “Doge” meme, which humorously portrays her with captions in broken English. This meme led to the creation of Dogecoin, initially intended as a joke, but it gained significant popularity and led to the development of other dog-themed cryptocurrencies such as Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Floki (FLOKI). These tokens have become a substantial part of the cryptocurrency industry.
In a blog post, Kabosu’s owner announced a “farewell party for Kabo-chan” on Sunday, May 26, at Flower Kaori in Kotsu no Mori, Narita City, from 1 pm to 4 pm. The owner shared that Kabosu had eaten her rice and drank plenty of water as usual the night before she passed. She died peacefully and quietly in her sleep the following day, with her owner gently stroking her.
The blog post expressed that Kabosu was “the happiest dog in the world” and her owner felt they were the “happiest person to have her.” They believe Kabosu is still smiling, wagging her tail, and staying close to them in spirit.
Kabosu had been diagnosed with leukemia and liver disease in 2022.
Reactions to her demise
Netizens poured their condolences on Kobasu’s demise. Here’s how they reacted:
