A Language Learner's Hilarious Encounter With Duolingo's Plush Owl

When one language learner decided to buy himself a physical reminder to practice his language learning daily, he wasn't prepared for the hilarious twist that would come with it. San Diego resident Marcus Ziadé has been using the popular language learning app Duolingo for some time and decided to buy himself a plush toy of the iconic Duolingo owl. "I bought the plush last week to remind me of my Duolingo streak," Ziadé told Newsweek. "The streak is currently at 1500 days. There's some sentimental value to it, especially since I recently moved from Helsinki to San Diego, leaving all my belongings behind, including my plushie collection. So, it felt good to have a new one."

However, the unexpected twist came with the note attached to the plush. It said: "Thank you! I hope you enjoy your purchase from my merch store. I also hope that you do your daily lessons because if you don't... well, let's just say I know where you live now." When Ziadé saw the note, he immediately understood the humorous intent. "That silly owl is a meme," he said. "They're leaning into Duo being this savage, no-nonsense character who will 'hunt you down' if you're lazy, which I find refreshing, especially in this modern, coddled world."

The note is a clear fun part of the Duolingo marketing success story. Notably intertwined with the popularity of the infamous "threatening Duolingo owl" meme. This meme originated from the app's persistent push notifications, where users turned the owl's reminders into a lighthearted joke. Instead of distancing themselves from the meme, Duolingo strategically embraced it.

The company’s marketing team harnessed the meme’s humor, featuring the Duolingo owl in various amusing scenarios on platforms like TikTok. With what they fondly term "unhinged content," Duolingo has managed to connect with a younger audience, particularly Gen Z, creating a unique brand identity that extends beyond language learning. This innovative marketing approach, blending memes and engaging content, has played a pivotal role in the app's popularity and social media success.

After opening his plush order, Ziadé decided to share the hilarious note with others and posted a picture on X, formerly Twitter, where it has now been viewed over 7 million times. Taking social media by storm, the post has gone viral across the internet, reaching the front page of Reddit and being re-shared across Instagram.

Duolingo explained: "The note was initially just a simple way to say thank you to fans for purchasing an item from our Duolingo Merch Store. But Duo the Owl never misses an opportunity to remind learners to do their lessons. So we crafted a note from Duo with a not-so-subtle threat that leaned into the classic meme and even designed a custom signature for him. We had no expectation for this note to go so viral, but it’s a testament to how much love—and fear—people have for Duo."

Update 12/06/23, 02:26 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional comment from Duolingo.