Kabosu, the Shiba Inu Who Inspired the \'Doge\' Meme and Cryptocurrency, Dies at 18

Atsuko Sato, a kindergarten teacher in Sakura, a sleepy city east of Tokyo, said Kabosu's fame as a dog has allowed her to do things like build schools for children in developing countries and connect with people from around the world .

In 2010, Atsuko Sato snapped a candid photo of her Shiba Inu, Kabosu, lounging on the couch. Little did she know that this seemingly innocuous image would propel her beloved pet to internet stardom, inspiring a cryptocurrency and leaving an indelible mark on popular culture.

Sato, a kindergarten teacher from Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, adopted Kabosu in 2008. The dog quickly became a cherished member of the family, joining Sato, her husband, and their three cats. Sato often shared photos of Kabosu on her personal blog, documenting their adventures and heartwarming moments. Unbeknownst to her, these images were making their way into the vast tapestry of the internet, eventually catching the attention of users on the 4chan message board.

In 2013, a user posted a photo of Kabosu with the internal monologue "wow" superimposed in broken English, using multicolored comic-book-style font. This playful creation quickly resonated with others, sparking a chain reaction that spread the "doge" meme far and wide. The term "doge" is a deliberate misspelling of "dog" that reflects the meme's intentionally fractured language. Kabosu's unique expression and the overlay of her supposed thoughts in the doge memes captured the hearts of millions, making her an enduring symbol of internet absurdity.

As Kabosu's fame soared, she became the face of dogecoin, a cryptocurrency created in 2013 as a parody of bitcoin. The coin's popularity skyrocketed after Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed his support, even changing the Twitter logo to doge in April 2023 and allowing dogecoin to be used for purchases of certain items on the Tesla electric car website.

Inspired by Kabosu's heartwarming story and the community spirit fostered by dogecoin, a group of fans banded together to purchase the original doge NFT when it was put up for auction in 2021 . The collective, known as Own The Doge, acquired the image for the equivalent of a staggering $4.2 million. "As is the true ethos of doge--doing something wacky and wonderful--we wanted to buy the most famous piece of internet history ...and bring it back to the people through fractionalizations so all can own the doge," said Tridog, a core contributor to the Own The Doge community.

After putting the image up for sale, Sato donated all proceeds to several charities , including the Japanese Red Cross Society and the World Food Program. Own The Doge was also involved in auctioning the couch from the original famous photo of Kabosu, with the proceeds once again donated to charity, and organizing a visit for overseas fans to Kabosu's hometown in the spring of last year.

"It was incredible to meet Atsuko and Kabosu in person. It truly showed how kind and wholesome Atsuko is and that Kabosu and thus doge is a reflection of that love. After that visit, I have always looked at Atsuko as the true power behind doge," said Tridog.

Last year, the group also established the first International Doge Day on Nov. 2 and funded the building of a bronze statue of Kabosu at a park in her hometown where she was often walked. The monument was unveiled that day, the date Sato adopted Kabosu in 2008 and marked as her birthday, given that her exact birthdate was unknown.

Sato first discovered Kabosu had become internet famous around 2013, when a friend emailed her a link to a site with lots of memes using the Shiba Inu's image. "When I checked the site, I saw Kabo-chan had been turned into a loaf of bread, a donut, and even given huge muscles," Sato said with a laugh. While Sato at first felt a bit uneasy that photos from her blog had spread worldwide, she now feels grateful, saying, "I always thought the person who found it first was amazing. I wondered how they managed to find it among so many photos online."

Outside of the doge phenomenon, Kabosu led a peaceful life with Sato, her husband, and their three cats. The family often enjoyed road trips across Japan, even as far as Hokkaido, and were always greeted by fans upon arrival once Sato posted her travel plans on her blog. "Kabo-chan was a really hardworking dog. If there were about 200 fans, for example, she would patiently let each one take a photo with her without causing a fuss," Sato remembered with a smile.

However, in December 2022, Kabosu suddenly fell very ill with leukemia and liver disease, which was a huge shock to Sato. What surprised Sato even more, though, was the global reaction to the news. "The story of Kabosu being in critical condition spread globally, and I was told that it was even on the evening news in the United States. That's when I realized for the first time how big

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