Social Media Digest

Meme icon's farewell

Kabosu, the beloved dog and the face behind the iconic "doge "meme, passed away on May 24 due to leukemia and liver disease.

Residing in Sakura, east Tokyo, Japan, Kabosu, a Shiba Inu, found a loving home when Atsuko Sato rescued her from a puppy mill in 2008, where she would have otherwise been euthanized. At the time of adoption, Sato estimated Kabosu's age to be around two years old.

In 2010, Sato took a picture of Kabosu crossing her paws on the sofa. She posted the image on her blog, and it took the internet by storm, evolving into a global meme phenomenon.

Later, the image was transformed into an NFT (non-fungible token) digital artwork that was sold for $4 million and even inspired Dogecoin, the eighth-most valuable cryptocurrency with a market capitalization of $23 billion.

Kabosu also captured the heart of Elon Musk, who briefly changed the logo of X to an image of Kabosu in April 2023.

Sato, along with Own the Doge, a crypto organization dedicated to the "doge" meme, has generously donated substantial sums to international charities, including more than $1 million to Save the Children, a nonprofit charity organization for children, leaving a lasting impact beyond mere visual entertainment for the world.

"She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her. I believe Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner," wrote Sato on her blog.