Kabosu, the beloved Shiba Inu who rose to fame as the iconic face of the “Doge” meme and Dogecoin, peacefully passed away Thursday. Atsuko Sato, Kabosu’s owner, shared the news on her official blog.
A farewell ceremony is scheduled at Flower Kaori in Kotsu no Mori, Narita City, on May 26 to honor the canine internet sensation.
However, amid the sadness, a notable surge occurred in the prices of meme-inspired cryptocurrencies Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) following a tribute from Elon Musk.
Musk’s tweet about Kabosu’s passing sparked a rapid uptick in both DOGE and SHIB values. Within minutes of the post, DOGE surged by as much as 5% to reach a session high of 17.3 cents, while SHIB saw a nearly 3% increase.
Although the gains were short-lived and both currencies eventually retraced, DOGE recorded a 6% increase, and SHIB gained 1% over the past 24 hours, outperforming the broader market.
Kabosu’s journey to fame began in 2010 when Sato shared photos of her adopted dog on her blog. One particular image, featuring Kabosu’s distinctive skeptical expression, went viral, giving birth to the iconic “Doge” meme.
By 2013, the meme’s popularity surged further with the creation of Dogecoin, which adopted Kabosu’s image as its official logo.
