Goodbye Kabosu: 5 Internet Trends Inspired by the 'Doge' Meme

Kabosu, the Japanese Shiba inu behind the "Doge" meme died at 18, over a decade after going viral across all parts of the internet.

Kabosu's owner, Atsuko Sato, posted in a blog post on Friday that the beloved dog "quietly passed away" after two years of suffering from leukemia and liver disease.

To commemorate the dog's life and everlasting internet legacy, here are some online trends inspired by the dog over the past decade.

Also Read: Meet Chiitan, the Masochistic Japanese Mascot Saving Your Ad Feed on X

Dogecoin Crypto

One of the most notable legacies of Kabosu might be her becoming the icon of the Elon Musk-backed crypto firm Dogecoin.

The image of the "Doge" meme has become ingrained in the brand and most discussions on cryptocurrency include the iconic picture of the dog or at least some variations of it.

In response to Kabosu's passing, Dogecoin's official X (formerly Twitter) account paid tribute to their icon "who knew only happiness and limitless love."

Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Before the "Doge" meme became heavily associated with cryptocurrency, Kabosu's iconic image was also referenced in a US localization of Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes.

The reference refers to the phrase, "So ancient. Such ruin," a callback to the early iterations of the "Doge" meme that spread across the internet in the early 2010s.

Nintendo slips a doge reference in The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes by inFellowKids

At the time of its initial release, the reference was heavily bashed due to its departure from accurate translation.

However, the death of Kabosu seems to have made many players look back on the reference and appreciate it more nearly nine years after its release.

Tales of Zestria North Amerian Localization

Similar to the reference in Legends of Zelda, the North American localization for Tales of Zestria also included a cheeky reference to the old "Doge" memes in the item description for the Shiba inu tail.

The reference did not gain the same backlash as the one in Legends of Zelda as the reference mostly went unnoticed in an already niche Tales community.

April Fool's Day Easter Egg

After its initial spread on the internet, "Doge" memes have become a mainstay in online culture that has slowly transitioned as easter eggs on many platforms, particularly during April Fool's Day.

In 2023, The Verge reported the Kabosu replacing the iconic bird of the then-Twitter brand mark, seemingly as a joke from Musk or an innocent error in the platform's understaffed management.

Before Twitter, Google also used the "Doge" meme as an easter egg to turn all fonts in the Search results into Comic Sans, the font face commonly used in creating memes.

Appearance in Propaganda, Nazi Dog Whistle Memes

Despite the loving nature of its model, the "Doge" meme has also had its fair share of appearances on the fringes of the internet.

In 2021, Business Insider reported how the "Doge" meme became part of the growing neo-Nazi groups recruiting impressionable youth through memes.

The trend gains widespread attention on Instagram where many teenagers often gather, vulnerable to political radicalization and propaganda hidden as jokes or sarcasm.

A year later, memes inspired by the "Doge" picture also became a notable part of the pro-Ukrainian North Atlantic Fella Organization to fight off Russian propaganda online amid the country's invasion of Kharkiv region.

Participants of the movement, who refer to themselves as "fellas," use edited pictures of the "Doge" meme to poke fun at Russian military reports and raise funds for the Ukrainian armed resistance.