Kabosu, the Shiba Inu known worldwide as “Doji” and whose sidelong glance has featured in countless memes, died on Friday in Sakura, Japan, according to her owner's blog.
The dog, a former rescue, was in his late teens, according to his owner, Atsuko Sato, a daycare staff member. The photo of the dog, glancing sideways and raising an eyebrow, was taken in February 2010, and the slang term “doge” was born in 2005. The two elements have combined into meme legend over the decades since.
Kabosu, nicknamed Kabocha (meaning “pumpkin” in Japanese), “fell into a deep sleep” and died on Friday morning, his owner wrote in a blog post in Japanese and computer-translated. The owner described the dog, who accompanied him to kindergarten every day, as “the happiest person in the world.”
“She was rescued after being abandoned by her mother and left on cold concrete with her eyes open and umbilical cord still attached,” Kabosu's translated blog profile reads. “Her sibling died soon after being rescued, but thanks to the love and devotion of her foster parents, she thrived. She joined our family in July 2010. Her birthday is May 13th. She is 12 years old. She is a proud Tsundere Queen.”
In Japanese, “tsundere” refers to the process in which anime characters start out strict and cold, but then warm up in the face of love.
“OG Doge has ascended to heaven with his friend Harambe,” Elon Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after posting a memed drawing of the late gorilla with angel wings embracing Doge.
Kabosu was identified as Doge in a 2013 article in The Verge, but his owner, Sato, said he was “surprised” when he saw the dog's face outside of the blog: “It felt really strange to see the dog's face there. It was a Kabosu I didn't know.” The memes typically convey Doge's inner monologue.
Kavso is also immortalized in Dogecoin, a real-life cryptocurrency that began as a joke in late 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, who were critical of the cryptocurrency boom at the time. Known as the first meme coin, the coin has fallen from a 2021 high of 74 cents a coin to trade for 17 cents on Friday. The rise was driven by Musk's Twitter image from that time A fake Dogue magazine cover featuring another real dog wearing a high-necked red sweater.
“It reminds me of the dot-com era. You knew something big was happening and a lot of investors were chasing it intently. That led to a bubble,” Scott Knapp, then a market strategist at Kuna Mutual Group, told Reuters in April 2021. “For every Amazon.com, you have 10 Pets.coms going under. Is Dogecoin the Pets.com of the crypto era?”
X's Dogecoin account confirmed his inspiration's death on Friday, posting, “Today, our mutual friend and inspiration to our community, Kabosu, passed away peacefully in her owner's arms. The impact this dog had around the world is immeasurable. She knew nothing but happiness and boundless love. Please keep her spirit and family in your hearts, and most of all, take her with you as your story continues. We are all blessed to have had her touch and shaped ours.”
Back in the real world, a “farewell party” for Kabosu was held in Narita, Japan on Sunday afternoon, with his owners hoping to plan a larger memorial at a later date.
