(TMX) — Kabosu, the Shiba Inu dog that appeared in countless memes and inspired the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, has died, according to his owner.
Atsuko Sato, 62, a kindergarten teacher, posted a poem on her blog on Friday confirming the news and thanking “all the people who loved her.”
“At 7:50 a.m. she went into a deep sleep,” he wrote. “She passed out quietly, as if falling asleep, while I was petting her.”
Kabosu was adopted, but Sato, who is from Sakura City in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, believes she was about 18.
In 2010, Sato posted a photo of Kabosu on his blog in which he was rolling his eyes from side to side in a questioning manner, and by 2013 it had spread across the Internet, leading to the creation of “Doge” memes. The memes used Kabosu’s image accompanied by words of amazement and surprise, meant to be the dog’s internal monologue, often in broken English, such as “wow” and “very cold, very cold.”
In December 2013, two software engineers created the cryptocurrency Dogecoin inspired by Kabosu, but what started as a joke became the first “meme coin” and is now one of the top 10 most valuable cryptocurrencies in the world, with billionaire Elon Musk among its fans.
“The impact this one dog has had around the world is immeasurable. She was a creature who only knew joy and boundless love,” the official Dogecoin account posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Please keep her spirit and her family in your hearts, and most importantly, keep her with you as you carry her story forward — we are all lucky to have been touched and shaped by her.”
In 2021, a non-fungible token, or NFT, of Kabosu’s image sold for $4 million. She became famous in her hometown of Sakura, where a bronze statue of her was unveiled earlier this year.
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