If you use any form of social media, it’s almost a guarantee that you are familiar with Doge whether you recognize the name or not. Doge is an internet meme sensation and the inspiration for the cryptocurrency, Dogecoin. Doge is a Shiba Inu, a small hunting breed native to Japan that is known for being lively and loving. Want to learn a little more about Doge? Keep reading.
Doge’s Rise to Internet Fame
So, how exactly did this Shiba Inu manage to gain so much attention and be stamped in history as one of the most famous internet memes of this era? Well, Doge blew up like a lot of other memes, by having a relatable look that speaks to souls everywhere.
Who Is Doge?
Doge is a female Shiba Inu that was adopted from an animal shelter by a Japanese kindergarten teacher named Atsuko Sato in 2008. She was named Kabuso, after the fruit because of her round face that would eventually lead her to worldwide fame. In February of 2010, Sato posted a few photos of Kabuso online, including the famous shot of her sitting on the couch giving a sideways glare with her eyebrows raised.
Kabuso isn’t the only Shiba Inu used in the Doge meme, there was another from San Francisco named Suki that belonged to photographer Jonathan Fleming. You would recognize Suki as the Shiba Inu wearing a scarf in other portrayals of the Doge meme.
Meme Culture
The term “Doge” was coined back in 2005, long before the Shiba Inu was attached to it. It was initially mentioned on an episode of Homestar Runner’s puppet series as an intentional misspelling of the word dog. The meme first caught on when used on Reddit in 2010, but Doge blew up all over the internet in late 2013.
By 2017, “Ironic Doge” gained popularity over the original version. Ironic Doge features the original meme edited into different, comical circumstances. All versions of Doge are still circulating on the internet today.
Dogecoin
The cryptocurrency Dogecoin was originally formed as a “joke” by Billy Markus, an IBM software engineer, and Jackson Palmer, an Adobe software engineer. Despite its satirical origins as a means of poking fun at Bitcoin, Dogecoin became an instant hit in the cryptocurrency market.
Dogecoin was launched on December 6, 2013, and within two weeks had a blog and forum. Within 30 days, their website had brought in over a million visitors. The creators wanted a digital currency that could be aimed at a broader demographic and separate themselves from the controversies that surrounded other cryptocurrencies.
Dogecoin is the first “dog coin” and the first “meme coin “and by May of 2021 had reached a market capitalization value of over $85 million. As of July 2022, Dogecoin still sits as one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies in the market.
Where Is Doge Now?
So where is Doge after all these years? Despite a death hoax that swept the internet in 2017 when CCTV posted a tweet announcing the death of Kabuso, the Shiba Inu is still alive and well after all these years. She is still alongside Sato and featured in Instagram posts that show the world just how loved and cared for she is.
Conclusion
Doge is a Shiba Inu that gained worldwide internet fame by sweeping over meme culture throughout the last decade and even inspired one of the top cryptocurrency companies of this day and age. The meme got its beginning when Kabuso, a rescued Shiba Inu in Japan posed for a picture with a look that would capture the attention of millions for the relatable and hilarious look on her face. Thank you, Kabuso, for entertaining the entire planet.
Featured Image Credit: Kabosu The Shiba Inu, photograph by Atsuko Sato. All rights reserved to the copyright owners.
