| Kabosu the Doge | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Kabosu |
|
Born |
November 2, 2005 (approximation) |
|
Died |
May 24, 2024 |
Origin[]
Kabosu was a Shiba Inu from Japan, and an internet celebrity famous for being the subject of the popular Doge meme. After the puppy mill in which she was born had shut down, she was sent to live in an animal shelter where she was subsequently adopted in 2008 by kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato.
Kabosu was first pictured in a 2010 blog post by Sato; afterwards, those same photos would be found on a Tumblr blog titled Shiba Confessions, with overlaid Comic Sans text featuring an assortment of grammatically-incorrect two-word sentences as captions of the dog's inner monologue. This marked the origin of the Doge meme as we know it today.
In late December of 2022, Kabosu had become seriously ill with leukemia, but her health improved shortly after. A park bench monument to Kabosu was installed in Sakura, Chiba in 2023, and a manhole cover with her image was installed in 2024.
On May 24, 2024, Kabosu died at the age of 18. A memorial service was held in her honor, which drew 50 people.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- As a real-life dog, Kabosu is not subject to copyright.
- Ironically enough, the most famous image of Kabosu commonly associated with Doge is not public domain, but is the copyrighted property of her owner Atsuko Sato.
- Kabosu was named after a Japanese citrus fruit.
- The word "doge" originates from the 2005 Homestar Runner short Biz Cas Fri 1. (coincidentally during Kabosu's birth year)
- Doge has been named as one of the best memes of the 2010s by multiple outlets.
- The cryptocurrency Dogecoin is named after the meme and features Kabosu's likeness.