Kabosu's Passing and Community Response
Kabosu, the Shiba Inu who served as the real-life mascot for Dogecoin (DOGE), passed away peacefully at the age of 18 while held by her owner Atsuko Sato on June 24, 2024. The news broke via Sato's personal blog, where she revealed that Kabosu had passed away at 8:50 AM Taiwan time and that a farewell ceremony would be held on Sunday afternoon at a flower shop in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture. Sato noted that Kabosu had eaten normally the night before and died in her sleep. She expressed gratitude to the fans who had supported Kabosu over the years.
The official Dogecoin X account quickly posted a tribute to Kabosu, acknowledging her role as the original meme icon. The crypto community reacted with sorrow, sending the DOGE price on a volatile ride: it spiked to $0.1667 before settling back to $0.1581, a 5.1% decline over 24 hours.
Kabosu's Life and the Birth of Dogecoin
Kabosu was rescued by Atsuko Sato in 2008 from a closed-down breeding facility, where she was estimated to be about three years old. She would have been nearly 19 in human years. In 2022, Kabosu suffered from acute bile duct hepatitis and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, prompting Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus to call for public support. Remarkably, she recovered after about a week and continued to eat and walk normally.
Kabosu's fame began in October 2010 when a photo of her was uploaded to Reddit. It grew into a viral sensation by 2012, taking over forums and eventually spawning the global 'Doge' meme. This meme directly inspired the creation of Dogecoin, making Kabosu an integral part of crypto history. Even Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum, visited Kabosu at Sato's Tokyo apartment in 2018.
Kabosu's death marks the end of an era, but her legacy as a meme icon and Dogecoin's spiritual symbol endures. The crypto community continues to honor the Shiba Inu who brought joy to millions and sparked a multi-billion dollar asset class.