Shiba Inu Dog Dead, Dogecoin inspired logo

Shiba Inu was the basis of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency logo

Very sad: Kabosu, the real Shiba Inu who was the basis of the popular Internet meme “doge” – and became the face of the logo for the cryptocurrency Dogecoin – has died. She was 18 years old.

“On the morning of May 24, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you very much for your support over the years,” said its owner, Atsuko Sato, in an Instagram post. “She left very peacefully without suffering, as if she fell asleep feeling the warmth of my hands caressing her.” Kabosu’s death was confirmed via email by The New York Times.

According to the site Know Your Meme, the Doge meme featured the Shiba Inu in photos that “can be edited to change the dog’s face or captioned with inner monologues in Comic Sans font.” The main meme and iconography associated with Doge was the Shiba Inu named Kabosu, whose photos taken by its owner Atsuko Sato in early 2010 went viral on the Internet. According to the site, the use of the misspelled word “doge” to refer to a dog dates back to June 24, 2005, when it was mentioned in an episode of the Homestar Runner puppet show.

Among the fans of the doge meme and Dogecoin was multi-billionaire Elon Musk – who temporarily changed the logo of X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, to the Dogecoin icon. The blockchain and cryptocurrency Dogecoin was created as a joke in 2013 to mock other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

On Friday, Musk posted a meme showing Kabosu being kissed by an angel-winged Harambe (the late Cincinnati Zoo gorilla that also became an Internet meme). “OG Doge ascended to heaven to be with (his) friend Harambe,” Musk wrote.

Dogecoin’s official X account commemorated the death of the famous Shiba Inu in a post on Friday. “Today, Kabosu, the friend and shared inspiration of our community, passed away peacefully in her arms. The impact of this dog across the world is immeasurable. “He was a being who knew only happiness and limitless love,” we can read.