The Shiba Inu that became meme famous as the face of dogecoin has died. Kabosu was 18

Associated Press

The dog that skyrocketed to internet fame and became the face of the cryptocurrency dogecoin has died.

The Shiba Inu named Kabosu passed away in Japan at 18 years old, a number of outlets reported. The dog’s owner, Atsuko Sato, said in a post that Kabosu died in her sleep. The account for dogecoin on X also said she had died, calling her an inspiration.

Sato, a 62-year-old kindergarten teacher in Japan, adopted the dog from an animal shelter in 2008, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Sato posted pictures of Kabosu, and her cats, online regularly. It was a picture of Kabosu, her head tilted in a seemingly quizzical fashion, that captured the attention of early adapters of cryptocurrency and she became a meme almost overnight.

A developer named Billy Markus actually harnessed the image in an effort to mock many of the cryptocurrencies being traded at the time. Markus co-created dogecoin using the Kabosu meme. The dog’s image was transposed onto a gold coin as the emblem for dogecoin in 2013, according to the Journal.

Kabuso’s image was soon being shared by traders, celebrities and even members of Congress.

Dogecoin, which is pronounced dohj-coin, has flirted with mild levels of popularity over the years. On April 20, 2021 there was “Doge Day.” Supporters of dogecoin were trying to help it shed its image as a joke cryptocurrency and get it seen as a way to make fast and easy transactions, though it is not accepted widely as for payment in any circle.

A year later billionaire Elon Musk suggested that Twitter consider providing a way for users to pay for subscription memberships with dogecoin.