Online 'Undertaker' memes erupt as Duolingo resurrects after faking death by 'accident'

It’s a bird, it’s a plane—no, it’s Duolingo’s green owl making the most dramatic comeback since, well, the Undertaker. The popular language-learning app’s beloved mascot, Duo the Owl, has 'risen' from the dead after faking his own demise in what might just be the best accidental marketing stunt of 2025.

Social media went into a tailspin after Duolingo claimed Duo was tragically taken out by a Cybertruck (yes, that Cybertruck), leading to an online frenzy of mourning, confusion, and, eventually, elation when the owl was 'resurrected.' One Twitter user perfectly summed it up:

“Duo came back like the Undertaker,” referencing the dramatic return of the WWE legend after faking his own defeat.

Let’s dive into the memes, reactions, and clever marketing campaign that kept fans on their toes.

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Online memes explode as Duolingo’s mascot, Duo the Owl, 'resurrects' after faking its death by 'accident.'

As soon as Duo 'returned' from the grave, the internet had a field day. Tweets poured in from all corners of the globe, many celebrating the owl's comeback with their own humorous quips. One user hilariously remarked:

“can y’all revive the twitter bird next?”—a nod to Twitter's uncertain future amid its own set of controversies.

Some fans felt the emotional rollercoaster deeply. A tweet featuring a meme of a man exclaiming:

"Somehow, the owl has returned," captured the collective disbelief of Duolingo users worldwide.

Others couldn’t resist poking fun at the app’s somewhat ruthless language-learning system, with one user tweeting:

“Brought back Duolingo but couldn’t bring back practice to earn hearts 😭.” (Anyone who's lost their streak due to missed lessons can definitely relate.)

But it didn’t stop there. One particularly cheeky fan quipped:

“Can you resurrect Hooters too?”—because if Duo can come back from the dead, anything's possible, right?

A multilingual explosion of excitement also flooded timelines, with users expressing their joy in various languages:

“🇬🇧 English: YEEEEESSS!!!

🇪🇸 Spanish: SÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ!!!

🇫🇷 French: OUIIIIIII !!!

🇮🇹 Italian: SÌÌÌÌÌÌ!!!

🇩🇪 German: JAAAA!!!

🇵🇹 Portuguese: SIM SIM SIM!!!

🇯🇵 Japanese: やったああああああ！！！

🇰🇷 Korean: 예에에에!!!

🇷🇺 Russian: ДААААААААААА!!!

🇨🇳 Mandarin: 太好了了了了了了！！!"

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a proper internet event without someone making a cryptocurrency reference, as one user lamented:

“How is he alive if the crypto markets are still dumping 😭.”

To cap it off, another fan perfectly captured the mood of the day with the classic sentiment:

“Legends never die.”

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Background: A marketing resurrection

At least in part, the dramatic tale of Duo's "death" and "resurrection" wasn't a coincidence. The clever marketing strategy of the language-learning program seems to have been created to create hype, leverage online culture, and provide followers with content for weeks of memes.

Cybertruck's mysterious tweet announcing the duo's first "death" caused a stir. The internet was left wondering if this was a sign that their favorite green bird was becoming extinct or if it was merely a gimmick to increase interaction.

Duo's 'resurrection' tweet and the trending hashtags #duolingoowl and #duolingohasrisen gave the campaign a boost. It was a brilliant example of brand engagement, as Duolingo used the popularity of its cheeky mascot to create a viral hit.

The owl's 'death' was more than simply a publicity stunt; it was a chance to parody online society, include ingenious fan participation, and even increase app downloads.

Who would have guessed that the secret to dominating social media would be pretending a mascot had died?

Duolingo has gained notoriety in online meme culture thanks to its death-and-resurrection prank and streak-threatening alerts. The app's already legendary fame has further grown as a result of the marketing effort.