Twitter logo makeover: Who is Kabosu, the dog meme star that replaced blue bird?

In his latest surprise, Elon Musk has replaced the iconic logo — which serves as a home button on Web — with the 'doge' meme of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency

By Web Desk

Published: Tue 4 Apr 2023, 3:03 PM

Twitter has changed its iconic blue bird logo to the image of a Shiba Inu, a Japanese hunting dog, which had inspired viral memes and is the face of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency. While much has changed in Twitter since billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover, the new logo still managed to surprise many.

The dog whose photo has taken over the Internet and now replaced Twitter’s iconic logo is a Shiba Inu named Kabosu. She lives in Sakura, Japan, and went viral after her human parent posted pictures on her blog in 2010.

One of the pics showed Kabosu on the couch with her legs crossed with a concerned look on her face. This has inspired a flurry of memes and, eventually, the cryptocurrency Dogecoin.

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Photo courtesy: Instagram (kabosumama)

Kabosu's human parent Atsuko Sato said she adopted the dog in 2008 after being rescued by a volunteer group. Seventeen-year-old Kabosu resides with three cats named Azaela, Ginnan, and Onigiri.

Sato maintains a blog where she shares photos and posts about the dog. Kabosu also has an Instagram and Twitter page loaded with her adorable pictures.

“Never in a million years would I have imagined the impact that my photoshoot of Kabosu would have on the Internet,” said Sato in an Instagram post in 2021 when Kabosu’s image was given for non-fungible token (NFT).

She added: “It’s a moment that’s evolved and taken on a life of its own over the last decade—being shared millions of times and creating an entire community around the Doge meme. Today, I’m excited to share that I’ve minted the original meme and photoshoot images as NFTs, and will be auctioning them for charity. The auctions will open on June 8th, and are open to the entire world. Please join me in this moment of internet history!”

Last year, on Christmas Eve, Sato shared an update on Kabosu’s health condition, saying her furball had stopped eating and drinking. She also revealed that Kabosu was suffering from chronic lymphoma leukaemia.

Sato, later, shared a happy update on Instagram and said: “I thank you all for your prayers. The Miracle of Kabosu couldn’t have happened without your warm wishes and prayers.”