Kabosu, beloved Shiba Inu and face of iconic 'Doge' meme, passes away

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Kabosu, the Shiba Inu who basked in attention as the face of the iconic “Doge” meme, inspiring the creation of Dogecoin, has passed away peacefully today at the age of 17.

Her owner, Atsuko Sato, announced the news on her official blog, expressing gratitude for the love and support shown to Kabo-chan over the years. A farewell gathering is being shared for admirers of Kabosu at Flower Kaori in Kotsu no Mori, Narita City, on May 26.

The crypto community and fans of Kabosu have expressed their condolences, sharing tributes and cherished memories of the dog that became an internet legend.

It was in 2010 that Kabosu’s image gained attention. An adopted dog, Kabosu’s skeptical and curious expression as documented by Sato went viral, resulting to the creation of the “Doge” meme. The image, often paired with funny phrases in broken English and the equally irreverent Comic Sans typeface, has become a cornerstone of internet culture.

The popularity of the meme prompted the creation of Dogecoin 2013, a cryptocurrency forked from Litecoin, which itself is a fork of Bitcoin. Both Litecoin and Dogecoin use the Scrypt hashing algorithm for their proof-of-work consensus mechanism, allowing miners to mine both coins simultaneously.

Although, as Jackson Palmer conceived it, Dogecoin was meant to be a “joke” coin, it gained traction and raised funds for charities. In 2021, it reached its all-time high of $0.73 after a pump rally influenced by the r/WallStreetBets community on Reddit.

At the time of writing, Dogecoin (DOGE) has dropped 5% in the past 24 hours, currently trading at $0.15. Kabosu’s influence extends beyond Dogecoin, inspiring a whole category of dog-themed meme coins, including Shiba Inu (SHIB), Floki Inu (FLOKI), and Dogwifhat (WIF).

The broader dog-themed coin market is also reeling from the impact, with CoinGecko’s list of such coins down by an average 5% compared to the previous day. The community appears to be collectively mourning Kabosu’s passing.

Kabosu’s legacy as a symbol of crypto culture and Dogecoin will continue to inspire the crypto community.

Rest in power, Kabo-chan.

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