Duolingo is the planet’s most popular language-learning app with more than 300 million users completing upwards of 7 billion (with a “b”) exercises every month. There are lots of reasons for that. Duolingo has kept its lessons snack-size and is constantly adding new languages. But credit is also due to the app’s avian mascot, Duo. The lively green owl has been with the company since its 2012 launch and in recent years has become the means by which Duolingo encourages you to complete your lessons—sometimes memorably.
“There’s that famous/infamous email that has Duo crying” if you don’t study, says art director Greg Hartman. And that spawned a meme. “People meme-ified Duo as this thing that will hunt you down if you don’t do your Spanish lesson for the day,” says VP of design Ryan Sims. Playing right along, the team responded with an April Fools’ Day video that featured an IRL version of Duo reminding users about their lessons…with comically unsettling results. To get a little more insight about how this all happened, we talked to Hartman, Sims, and head of design Tyler Murphy about Duo’s delightful history.
Hartman: “When the company started, [founder] Luis von Ahn was adamant about having a mascot. Legend has it that green was chosen because our CPO didn’t like green. It was kind of a joke.”
Murphy: “When iOS 7 came out, we redesigned our app and needed a fully executed 3D Duo. And got this kind of creepier textured version.”
Murphy: “In my first couple years, the product was having a bit of an identity crisis. We had gamified elements like hearts and coins, but then you’d get a photo of an orange to learn the word ‘orange.’ It didn’t feel like something you’d see in a game, so in 2014 we made a design decision to illustrate everything. And we made a conscious choice to embrace the gamified identity of Duo.”
Murphy: “This was part of a visual refresh of the whole app. Previously, we had two versions of this owl all over the place: happy state and crying state. He didn’t have the full spectrum of emotions like you’d see in a videogame. He wasn’t really a fleshed-out character. Duo was closer to the Twitter bird, where you only see him in one version, posture, and expression.
“So this Duo is designed to be more easily animated. We’re using very simple geometry. His wings are just half circles hiding behind the body. And when you do a turnaround, or look at him from the side, he’s very predictable as far as what his shape is. He’s more or less a cylinder with wings, and that made the animation and illustration time go down drastically. I think our animators really appreciated that. And now we can put him in more places throughout the app.”
Murphy: “The product was going through a little identity crisis during my first few years.” We included gamified components like hearts and coins, but to learn the word “orange,” you would first receive a photo of an orange. Since it didn’t feel like something you would see in a game, we decided to illustrate everything in 2014 as a design decision. And we consciously decided to accept Duo’s gamified identity. â.
With over 300 million users, Duolingo is the most widely used language-learning app on the planet. Each month, users complete over 7 billion exercises (with a âbâ) There are lots of reasons for that. Duolingo continuously adds new languages while maintaining the bite-sized nature of its lessons. However, recognition must also go to Duo, the app’s avian mascot. Since the company’s founding in 2012, the animated green owl has served as a symbol for Duolingo’s encouragement to finish your lessonssometimes in a memorable way.
Murphy: “This was a component of the overall app’s visual refresh.” Before, there were two different versions of this owl everywhere: a joyful state and a sobbing state. He lacked the whole range of emotions that one would find in a video game. He wasnât really a fleshed-out character. Duo resembled the Twitter bird more because there is only one version, posture, and expression of him.
Greg Hartman, art director, states, “There’s that famous/infamous email that has Duo crying” if you don’t study. And that spawned a meme. “People have stereotyped Duo as something that will follow you around if you neglect to complete your daily Spanish lesson,” says Ryan Sims, vice president of design. Following suit, the group produced an April Fools’ Day video featuring an actual Duo reminding viewers of their lessons. with comically unsettling results. We discussed Duo’s delightful history with Hartman, Sims, and head of design Tyler Murphy to gain a little more insight into how this all came to be.
Hartman: “[Founder] Luis von Ahn was adamant about having a mascot when the company first started.” There is a legend that green was selected because our CPO disliked green. It was kind of a joke. â.
In response to the “Evil Duo” memes, the official Duolingo YouTube channel released a video titled “Introducing Duo Push” on April 1st, 2019. In order to “push” users toward their objectives, a person dressed in a Duo costume is seen stalking users in the video who haven’t finished their daily lessons. [7].
In a video released in February 2020 as part of the website’s collaboration with Angry Birds 2, Duo and the red Angry Bird were seen assaulting individuals. When Duo noticed that one of the patrons at the bar hadn’t completed their French lessons, they arrived. [8] Red and Duo appeared together in lessons as part of the same partnership. [9].
Duo
- 2019 to Current
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- Baby
Name
Duo
Gender
Male
Pronouns
He/Him Duo is the official mascot of Duolingo. He is a green owl, similar to the spectacled owl species in the real world and is meant to symbolize knowledge, wisdom, and learning.[1] When youre using Duolingo, he can at times serve as a coach to motivate users to achieve higher learning goals, and can also instruct users on several aspects of the Duolingo website. As youre doing lessons, he will sometimes pop up to do things like giving encouragement.
Recently, Duo has been used in memes to humorously illustrate the reminders to practice, primarily in relation to the volume of emails users receive. Duo has been known to threaten those who don’t practice with ballistic missile strikes[4] or to physically harm them. [5] The meme has become known as “Evil Duolingo Owl”. [6].
FAQ
What is the gender of the Duolingo bird?
What is the story behind the Duolingo bird?
How old is lily Duolingo?
What bird is Duolingo?