You may not know him by name, but you've probably seen him many times. Kabosu it was the breed dog Shiba Inu protagonist of the meme Dogea creation that went viral due to the animal's peculiar expression and that has been used in a multitude of memes. Kabosu died this Friday in Tokyo at the age of 18.according to what its owner has published on Instagram, after more than a decade being a celebrity of Internet.
In 2008, Kabosu was a rescue dog who was adopted by Atsuko Sato, a kindergarten teacher. Sato maintained a blog where she shared photos of her pets and, in February 2010, she posted what at the time was a regular update. Sato couldn't imagine that one of his dog's photos would eventually be seen all over the Internet and give rise to the Doge meme.a term derived from dog, dog in English.
“On the morning of May 24, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years. She left very calmly, without suffering, as if she fell asleep while she felt the warmth of my hands caressing her”Sato wrote on Kabosu's Instagram account.
The meme began to gain popularity in 2013 and has remained an icon in internet culture ever since. Kabosu's surprised and distrustful expression has been used in thousands of compositions and parodies since thenusually to emphasize certain opinions accompanied by a brief expression or, in another very popular version, making comparisons using an image of the Shiba Inu as it is and another in which it appears hypermuscled. Its popularity reached the point that a International Doge Day.
In 2021, Elon Musk used it to promote cryptocurrency Dogecoin. The tycoon was later sued by investors in this cryptocurrency who accused Musk of inflating its value and then letting it fall.
Despite his celebrity, it seems that Kabosu lived a quiet and happy life with Sato, who has organized a funeral and farewell party for his famous pet that will take place this weekend. “I think he was the happiest dog in the world and I was the happiest owner in the world.”, Sato has written.