Why did Duolingo kill its mascot?

Duolingo, the language learning app, has “killed” its mascot. Why has it done this? Well, of course, it’s a marketing stunt. The mascot, Duo, has been plastered all over social media for years, with it routinely going viral on TikTok.

Duolingo’s marketing campaign is still going on, so we’ve not seen the culmination of their plan just yet.

In a new move, Duolingo announced that Duo had died. The death has been blamed on users not completing lessons. The company asked people not to share “why you hate him in the comments”, as they claim he “had many enemies”.

In a recent video, Duo’s death has been uncovered as a Cybertruck accident. Upon impact, Duo was flung into space, presumably dying of asphyxiation – or died on impact. Whichever one makes you feel better.

As expected, the manipulation of the audience has worked like a charm. The videos posted on TikTok and Instagram have accumulated millions of views and likes, but some have noticed this is very similar to another mascot’s death.

In 2020, Mr. Peanut, the mascot for the American snack company, Planters, was “killed”. While a little more dramatic and advertised on TV, Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe was revived with a new design.

It could be that Duolingo is undergoing some kind of rebranding. Its last posted quarterly earnings don’t indicate a loss of revenue, with 40% growth, so it’s not an explicit attempt to regain lost subscribers.

Duolingo can’t escape brands cramping its style – even in death

What the marketing stunt has done is generate a much-derided social media trend. In the comments underneath the videos, large swaths of branded accounts have flocked to take part in the stunt. Razer, Lipton Ice Tea, and other branded accounts have all input jokes.

The official Assassin’s Creed UK account chipped in with a Photoshopped image of Duo being murdered by one of its characters.

You're welcome https://t.co/Dm2V9PSLvD pic.twitter.com/uWd3TwGDqM

— Assassin's Creed UK (@Assassins_UK) February 11, 2025

However, Duolingo is more than self-aware. An account attached to “Insomnia Cookies” said it’d miss the late-night chats. Duolingo responded with “He never brought you up once.”