From Dogecoin Meme To Twitter Icon: 5 Little-Known Things About The 17-Year-Old Crypto Canine Sensation

Twitter’s website got a makeover on Monday, as the Dogecoin DOGE/USD logo replaced the Twitter icon on the website’s homepage.

The dog that has become the mascot of Doge is an elderly Shiba Inu named Kabosu, and recently a “miraculous” recovery after falling “very dangerously” ill on Christmas Eve 2022.

Here are five things you might not know about Kabosu, the dog that will forever be known as the face of DOGE.

1. Saved From Dying at an Animal Shelter: On Nov. 2, 2022, Kabosu turned 17 years old, a birthday that would never have been celebrated if not for a Japanese kindergarten teacher. Atsuko Sato adopted Kabosu from an animal shelter in November 2008.

“She was a pedigreed dog from a puppy mill and when the puppy mill closed down, she was abandoned along with 19 other Shiba dogs,” Sato said. Kabosu was going to be put down if she was not adopted.

Kabosu now has over 396,000 followers on Instagram and is arguably one of the most famous dogs in the world.

2. Meme Was From a Random Photoshoot: Sato took some pictures of her 8-year-old Shiba Inu dog in a random photoshoot. Her goal was to simply share cut pictures of one of her pets online.

“I was taken aback,” Sato said on seeing the meme. “It felt very strange to see her face there. It was a Kabosu that I didn’t know.”

Sato shared pictures of Kabosu through a blog she started in June 2009. The photos eventually made their way on Reddit and the rest is history.

The meme has been seen by millions of people and also generated one of the best reviews ever given out by We Rate Dogs, a Twitter account that has over 9 million followers and rates user-submitted photos of dogs.

This is Kabosu. She just turned 16 years old. She’s a rescue Shiba Inu who changed the world with an impromptu photoshoot back in 2010. Her slightly raised eyebrows and crossed paws remain one the greatest reaction images of all time. 15/10 such legend much wow pic.twitter.com/PeaY0gCfRu

— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) November 2, 2021

“Never in a million years would I have imagined the impact that my photoshoot of Kabosu would have on the internet,” Kabosu’s owner wrote on Instagram earlier this year.

3. Meme Now Worth Millions: The meme that was the basis of Dogecoin and other cryptocurrencies was sold as a non-fungible token earlier this year. The NFT was sold for 1,696.9 Ethereum ETH/USD, or around $4 million at the time.

The auction winner was PleasrDAO, a group of investors who have bought several notable NFTs including the Doge meme and a 1/1 Wu-Tang Clan album.

PleasrDAO split the meme into 17 billion pieces, allowing fractional ownership. The move saw the meme skyrocket in value from $4 million to $220 million within the first 24 hours. The meme is now valued significantly lower than its peak valuation. 

“We’re so happy to be part of this milestone in internet history. If any meme deserved to be the new meme NFT record holder, it’s Doge,” Know Your Meme Editor-in-chief Don Caldwell, who certified the meme prior to the auction, said.

Related Link: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Dogecoin Co-Creator Billy Markus 

4. Named After a Fruit: Kabosu was named after a fruit by a volunteer at the animal shelter.

“Her face is very round just like kabosu. I thought the name was perfect, so I kept it,” Sato said.

A kabosu is a citrus fruit used in Japan food dishes. The fruit is sour like lemons and is harvested when green. The fruit turns yellow if left to ripen.

5. Is The CEO of Dogecoin: The highly coveted role of the “CEO of Dogecoin” was put up for grabs this year after popular Twitter account Greg16676935420 saw his title come to an end.

Kabosu was given the new title of fake CEO of Dogecoin by Dogecoin creator Billy Markus, who shared the news on Twitter.

“The new fake CEO of dogecoin is…! One who has embodied dogecoin before it was even in existence. They are the most qualified for the position. It is unquestionable. The goodest doge of all, the face of the coin, who has inspired millions to Do Only Good Everyday. Kabosu.”

Other titles given out by Markus included Elon Musk being named fake Chairman of the Board and his puppy Floki being named fake President of Dogecoin.

Now Read: Forget Dogecoin Gains, This Meme Coin Surges 44% After Elon Musk's Twitter Logo Change

Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated.