Much sad! Kabosu, the face of “doge” meme, dies

Last Updated on May 28, 2024

Kabosu, the Shiba Inu who became an internet sensation as the doge meme, has passed away at the age of 18, according to owner Atsuko Sato.

Kabosu was one of the most recognizable and frequently used memes running. Stemming from a 2010 photo, the side-eyed look would become the symbol of “amaze” and “wow”, accentuated with multi-colored Comic Sans. Even though Kabosu was diagnosed with cancer in 2022, she surpassed the average lifespan of a Shiba Inu.

In her announcement, Atusko Sato wrote the following: “To all of you who loved Kabosu, On the morning of the 24th of May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years. She went very peacefully without suffering, as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her. Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years. I am certain that Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world. That makes me the happiest owner in the world. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who has sent us much love to us.”

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Kabosu’s reputation and recognition was nearly unmatched in the world of memes, with the good doge later being  immortalized with a bronze statue in Sakura, Japan. And in 2013, Kabosu was featured on cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which, like anything meme-related, started with a joke and went much further than the creator expected.

In recounting how she came to be the owner of the beloved pooch, Atsuko Sato told Know Your Meme, “Kabosu’s breeder went out of business, and she was rescued by an animal welfare organization after being brought to an animal welfare center to be put down, along with 19 other Shiba Inu. Most of the Shiba Inu that were brought there with her were killed. Two years had passed since I lost my previous dog, and I wanted to live with a dog again. I looked at the information about the new arrivals that had just been advertised as looking for foster parents on the website and found out about Kabosu. Sixteen days after being brought to the animal welfare center, she became a member of my family.”

In the world of animal-centric memes, Kabosu is predeceased by Grumpy Cat (2012-2019) and Harambe, who didn’t become an internet sensation until after his 2016 death. Kabosu was actually the subject of a death hoax as part of an April Fools’ Day prank in 2017, because the internet is a strange, strange place.

Although most of us never met Kabosu, her legacy, face and memes will live on. Leave your many condolence and very sad in the comments section below.