Ten Bizarre Facts About The Doge Meme

We’ve heard so much about the term Doge over the past few months. However, the online phenomenon has a more storied history than many people realize. The first known use of the term dates back to a 2005 online puppet show. It then became tied to a photo of a young Shiba Inu unwinding on the sofa, and from there the meme exploded.

Since taking over the internet, Doge has gone through all kinds of twists and turns, from reporting the weather to sponsoring the Jamaican bobsleigh team. Its wild journey takes in not just Elon Musk but Snoop Dogg, Gene Simmons, and plenty more besides. Here are ten of the most surreal moments in the history of Doge that gained the meme global acclaim.

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10 The Meme Was Born When a Teacher Photographed Her Dog

When Atsuko Sato uploaded a photo of her pet dog to the internet, she couldn’t have imagined that the image would become such a global hit. The Japanese teacher adopted a Shiba Inu puppy called Kabosu from a shelter in 2008. Two years later, she snapped her canine pal lounging about on the sofa.

Sato then posted the photo on her blog, and it spread across the internet like wildfire. From forum posts to email chains, users shared the image far and wide. Soon, millions of people around the world were enjoying the simple pleasure of seeing young Kabosu relaxing on the couch.

But dogs don’t last forever, and sadly, the iconic Shiba Inu fell ill with leukemia and liver disease in 2022. Fans all over the globe prayed for Kabosu’s health. But she died in May 2024, drifting away in Sato’s arms. As the owner wrote on her blog, “I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner.”^[1]

9 Misspelled Name Inspired by Homestar Runner Puppet Video

As Sato’s photo went viral, Doge memes blazed across the web. People from all corners of the internet were clamoring to send each other snaps of Kabosu and similar cute dogs. The pics were often surrounded by snatches of text in broken English, as if to show the canine’s thoughts. Fans would overlay the original photo with phrases like “so scare” or “such awake.” These are usually written in Comic Sans in a range of colors.

But how about the dodgy spelling of the word dog? The original idea for that dates back to 2005 and a comedy web series called Homestar Runner. In one video, the title character tells his buddy Strong Bad, “You crack me up. Crack me up. That’s why you’re my D-O-G-E.” Meme experts say the puppet show features the first recorded use of the word Doge, which the masked prankster pronounces as “dojh.”^[2]

8 Developers Create Doge Site for Weather Reports

In many ways, 2014 was a simpler time. Long before the internet became the whirlwind of chaos that it is today, Doge was simply reporting the weather. Doge Weather was one of the internet’s most whimsical sources to learn what the conditions were like in your area.

Katia Eirin and Bennett Wong created dogeweather.com, which is sadly no longer online. They say the site presented users with a forecast for their location with typical Doge humor. When it was overcast, the dog’s face showed up in the middle of the page in a cloud. Floating snatches of text told users that the weather was “wow overcast clouds” and “such boring.” In rainy weather, we might have seen our canine pal in a waterproof coat or with an umbrella.

Eirin and Wong launched the site after the success of Drake Weather, which combines the Canadian music star with meteorology. When asked why they made Doge Weather, web developer Wong replied, “Why not?”^[3]

7 NFT Breaks Records After Selling for $4 Million at Auction

The hype around non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has died down recently, but they used to be all the rage in the crypto world. Unlike hard cash or other digital currencies, each NFT is a one-off that investors can collect. They are usually tied to some form of electronic file, like a work of art or a photo.

In June 2021, one investor shelled out over $4 million for a Doge NFT, smashing records for the most expensive token based on a meme. A collector by the name of PleasrDAO won the piece in an online auction after a bidding war with another user. The NFT eventually sold for 1,696.9 Ether via the site Zora.

Crypto experts explained that while the investor may have spent an eye-watering amount on the NFT, they do not own the photo’s copyright. They said that the token was more like a valuable digital autograph from Ms. Sato.^[4]

6 Twitter Changes Logo to Doge Meme

Elon Musk has shown himself to be a fan of the Doge trend time and time again. Years before his rise to politics, the billionaire changed Twitter’s logo to the Dogecoin icon. Dogecoin is a tongue-in-cheek cryptocurrency tied to the famous pooch that was set up to poke fun at more serious digital currencies.

On April 3, 2023, Twitter users arrived at the platform to find the usual blue bird gone. In its place was a pixelated Shiba Inu. The value of Dogecoin jumped over 20% after the change in logo. The image lasted around a week before the old logo returned. Mr. Musk changed Twitter’s name to X later that summer.

Years later, no one knows quite why the tech tycoon did it. Some say it was a slightly late April Fools’ joke. Others point to a 2022 Twitter exchange before Mr. Musk bought the platform. After criticizing the site’s lack of free speech, one user encouraged him to “just buy twitter… and change the bird logo to a doge.” “Haha that would be sickkk,” Mr. Musk replied.

The temporary logo might also have been inspired by a lawsuit that hung over him at the time. Plaintiffs accused Mr. Musk of racketeering by encouraging people to invest in Dogecoin, including in a sketch on Saturday Night Live. The case was dismissed and withdrawn a year later.^[5]

5 Kabosu Inspires Crypto Token for Dog Charities

Dogecoin isn’t the only digital currency on the market inspired by our Shiba Inu pal. The crypto world is home to a whole host of Doge-related tokens. These include Kabosu Token, which was launched in tribute to the internet’s favorite pooch. The people behind the token claim they want to honor her legacy by stopping any breed from being abandoned. They describe Kabosu as “a symbol of resilience” and aim to build a community based on her values.

“Kabosu Token is not just a cryptocurrency,” developers explain. “It’s a movement rooted in compassion and empowerment. Join us in commemorating Kabosu’s journey, honoring her spirit, and contributing to a cause that reflects her resilience and the unwavering love for our furry friends.”^[6]

4 Dogecoin Started Out as a Joke

Dogecoin started life as a crypto spinoff from the beloved meme and soon took a life of its own. The Australian pair who came up with the currency only created it as a joke. Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer founded the cryptocurrency in December 2013 to poke fun at the likes of Bitcoin. Markus, who also goes by the name Shibetoshi Nakamoto, claims the token took a few hours for him to put together, “with the bulk of that time making alterations to the client to make the text Comic Sans.”

He says the first few weeks after Dogecoin landed were “complete utter insanity.” Palmer’s site for the satirical currency soon gained millions of hits. At one point in January 2014, the transaction volume for Dogecoin briefly surpassed that of all other cryptocurrencies combined, including Bitcoin.

Billy Markus would hardly describe himself as a skilled crypto trader. In 2015, he decided he needed to take an extended break from the community. He sold his Dogecoin and spent the money on a Honda Civic. Since then, Dogecoin has skyrocketed in value. Experts say the same amount that bought him a Honda ten years ago could get him an army of Lamborghinis today.

But Markus says money was never the true value of Dogecoin anyway. His proudest moments are when the community raised money to send dogs to disabled children and helped provide clean drinking water to people in Kenya.^[7]

3 Celebrities Ride the Wave of Dogecoin’s Surging Value

After a lull in the mid to late 2010s, Dogecoin suddenly shot up in value during lockdown. In January 2021, the coin’s worth rose 1,000% in only a few days. Elon Musk is probably the most vocal supporter of the digital currency. The tycoon appointed himself the “Dogefather” and even advertised the coin on Saturday Night Live.

After Mr. Musk’s celebrity backing, a whole host of famous faces popped up keen to follow his lead. Soon, everyone from Kiss’ Gene Simmons to restaurateur Guy Fieri to rapper Lil Yachty was promoting the plucky little coin. Shark Tank‘s Mark Cuban started flogging Dallas Mavericks tickets and merchandise using Dogecoin. Snoop Dogg even posted an image of his album art with his face replaced by a Shiba Inu.

Around that time, TikTok and Reddit users also started buying into the trend. They urged people to invest in the digital currency and send Dogecoin’s value “to the moon.”^[8]

2 Japan Unveils Bronze Statue of Kabosu

Despite her enormous online fame, Kabosu continued to live a simple life. Ms. Sato often took her pooch for long walks across the city of Sakura. She used her blog to tell the world what the two of them had been up to. Then, on Kabosu’s seventeenth birthday, Doge lovers started raising funds to build a statue for the internet’s favorite canine. It took just 12 hours for the online campaign to meet its target.

In November 2023, a bronze statue was installed in Sakura Furusato Square in honor of the beloved Shiba Inu. The monument shows Kabosu in her iconic seated pose, with a few bronze cats dotted around the scene to celebrate Ms. Sato’s other pets.

And the honors don’t stop there. The next year, just months before Kabosu sadly died, Sakura officials unveiled a manhole cover depicting the city’s most eminent dog.^[9]

1 Dogecoin Sponsored Jamaican Bobsleigh Team to Winter Olympics

The classic comedy movie Cool Runnings tells the story of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team and their journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics. The tropical island continued to field a bobsleigh crew for years to come. But in 2006 and 2010, amidst fierce competition, the country failed twice to qualify for the Games.

Then in 2014, the Jamaicans returned. Twelve years since they were last seen on the ice at an Olympic level, a two-man team made it to Sochi. Winston Watt and Marvin Dixon were propelled to the Games in part due to the backing of the crypto community. Liam Butler of the Dogecoin Foundation felt compelled to help the duo due to his childhood love for Cool Runnings. He set up an online fundraiser called Dogesled to help get the pair to Sochi. The donations flooded in thick and fast. In a few hours, he collected more than 26 million Dogecoin and was able to send the athletes over $30,000. In fact, so many people donated that the surge in payments caused the digital currency to double in value.

Sadly, their Sochi adventure was far from a roaring success. Airlines lost their luggage during the journey to Russia, which meant the duo had to sit out of their first training session. They finished last but were bumped up a few places on the final leaderboard after the Serbians failed to finish and two Russian teams were disqualified for doping.^[10]