Kabosu, a Shiba Inu whose “incredible” face helped create one of the defining memes of the last decade and inspired Dogecoin cryptocurrency, passed away on Friday. She is 18 years old.
The girl who “crossed the rainbow” on Friday, owner Atsuko Sato said on social networks, added that she died without pain, and was caressed by Ms. Sato. Ms. Sato said in an email Friday that she died at her home in Sakura, a city east of Tokyo.
In the animal hall of fame, Kabosu’s sudden rise from ordinary dog to global meme can only be described as “amazing.” Sent to an animal shelter with a group of other Shiba Inu dogs after her breeder went bankrupt, she was adopted by Ms. Sato, a kindergarten teacher, in 2008. Ms. Sato began posting photos of Kabosu Enjoy life and have fun at home on her blog.
But a particular photo of Kabosu in 2010 broke through: raised eyebrows and a Rorschach test-like look that could be interpreted as knowing, mischievous or amused. Her round head quickly became one of the world’s most recognizable faces. Doge memes.
Online followers initially posted images of her face in clear text Comic book fonts are often ridiculed and ungrammatical two-word phrases became a language in their own right: a way to convey reactions to any situation. (So awake! So scared! Wow!)
Images of Kabosu, along with other Shiba Inu dogs, were cropped and remixed to create jokes ranging from understandable to nonsensical, and gradually created their own jokes. side story meme. Nicolas Cage’s face has been photoshopped onto her body. Her body has been photoshopped a loaf of bread. Even legislator catch on and use Doge to convey their discontent. (Another Shiba Inu, Suki, also became a frequent source of Doge memes after a photo of her wearing a miniature scarf and looking into the distance went viral, as defined by the meme’s history in The Verge.)
Her likeness then moved into the cryptocurrency space after it was used as the symbol for Dogecoin, a electronic currency was introduced as a joke in 2013. The meme coin has made some investors millionaires overnight after it experienced a stratospheric rise in 2021before fading.
Whether aware or not of her fame, Kabosu doesn’t seem to mind the attention. According to Mrs. Sato, her temperament is unusually relaxed for a Shiba Inu.
“She is very gentle and calm; she loves to be photographed,” Ms. Sato said in an interview with The Verge in 2013. A volunteer, impressed by the dog’s round face, named her after a type of citrus same name from Japan. “I thought the name was perfect so I kept it,” Ms. Sato said.
The Shiba Inu in recent years had been seriously ill, and Ms. Sato said in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a type of cancer, and acute cholangitis, a condition that causes liver inflammation and around area.
Her life is a source of interest for more than 500,000 online followers and she lives with three cats. Her birthday, November 2, is a cause for celebration for many, known as “Doge Day.”
“She was unloved as a child, so I wanted to give love to her as a member of my family,” Ms. Sato told The Verge in 2013. farewell party will be held for Kabosu on Sunday at Narita.
“I am sure that Kabosu is the happiest dog in the world,” she wrote on Friday.
