Stephen Colbert mourns Duolingo owl Duo, knows what you did

Duolingo killed its own mascot owl, Duo, in a headline-making marketing move on Feb. 11 that had the company selling Duo-sized coffins and dead Duo enamel pins. But whodunnit, really?

On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert pondered that very question during his “Meanwhile” segment (the one that captures the news outside the major events).

“Duolingo has announced the death of their mascot Duo the owl,” Colbert began. “Adding: You killed him. You and your commitment to learning Spanish. Oh, you said you’d do one lesson every day and yet here we stand above the rotting corpse of a cartoon owl. Espero que seas feliz (I hope you’re happy).”

You’ve got to hand it to Duolingo’s marketing team — that whole murder strategy worked.