Alex Omenye
The Japanese Shiba Inu, Kabosu, who became a global meme and the face of the alternative cryptocurrency Dogecoin, has died at the age of 18, her owner announced in a blog post on Friday.
Atsuko Sato, Kabosu’s owner, shared that the beloved dog passed away peacefully in her sleep.
Kabosu gained worldwide fame as the face of Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that started as a satirical commentary on the 2013 crypto craze. The coin’s value soared after Tesla CEO Elon Musk, an avid supporter of cryptocurrencies, began tweeting about it in 2020. Musk’s endorsements significantly boosted Dogecoin’s popularity and market value.
In a notable instance last year, Dogecoin’s market value surged by $4 billion when Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022, temporarily replaced Twitter’s blue bird logo with an image of Kabosu. Musk has since rebranded Twitter as X.
Currently, Dogecoin boasts a market capitalization of approximately $23.6 billion, making it the ninth largest cryptocurrency according to data from Coingecko.com.
“The impact this one dog has made across the world is immeasurable,” Dogecoin posted on the social media site X on Friday, paying tribute to Kabosu’s widespread influence.
