Shiba Inu Behind Viral 'Doge' Meme To Be Honored With Statue In Japan — And Maybe Later On Moon Too

An NFT community that holds the original “Doge” meme is collaborating with local governments to erect a physical statue in honor of Kabosu, the dog that inspired the viral meme.

The statue is scheduled for unveiling on Nov. 2 in Sakura, Japan, coinciding with Kabosu’s birthday, as part of a partnership with the City of Sakura. It will be placed in Sakura Furusato Square, a frequented location for Kabuso’s owners.

Devoted fans of Kabosu, the Japanese Shiba Inu who served as the muse for the widely recognized Doge meme and Dogecoin DOGE/USD, successfully raised funds last year to bring this statue to life. They even entertain ambitious dreams of eventually positioning it on the moon.

Tridog of PleasrDAO, the community that owns the NFT representing the original ‘Doge’ meme, told Coindesk, “We’ve been operating for over two years, taking Doge to new horizons, including Hollywood, EDM hits, and even space (The Doge NFT embarked on a SpaceX mission to the moon).”

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Why It Matters: Kabosu, the adorable Shiba Inu who became the iconic face of the “doge” meme, was rescued from a puppy mill. 

Kabosu found a loving home with Atsuko Sato, a Japanese kindergarten teacher who affectionately named her after a citrus fruit.

Sato captured a picture of Kabosu for her blog back in 2010. The image gained explosive popularity when John Monarch, the individual who shared the photo from Atsuko’s blog, bestowed the name “doge” upon Kabuso in a post on Reddit.

The phenomenon of the “Doge” meme began in December 2013 and quickly skyrocketed in popularity, captivating internet users worldwide. Embracing society’s fascination with animal-based memes, two programmers — Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer decided to launch Dogecoin as a playful and comical response to the more serious Bitcoin.

Billionaire entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been a notable supporter of Dogecoin. Musk hasn’t shied away from expressing his endorsement of the cryptocurrency on various occasions, contributing to its increased visibility. 

Price Action: At the time of writing, DOGE was trading at $0.072 up 0.50% in the last 24 hours, according to Benzinga Pro.

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