Duolingo Doubles Down On The Booty With Well-Rounded Merch
Images via Duolingo
Duolingo is learning the language of Gen Z and using humor to get them curious about education… as well as to have them dig deep into their pockets.
While its sassy owl, Duo, is the undisputed star of the brand, his thunder is recently being turned—quite literally—on its head. These ample goods have been stealing the spotlight on social media, and they even scored a starring role in a Super Bowl commercial.
It’s easy to see that the people have spoken in their diverse lexicons: they love big butts, and they cannot lie. Capitalizing on this unexpected fan favorite, Duolingo has launched a line of merchandise celebrating the owl’s posterior, including US$19.95 Duo Butt Briefs and a US$9.95 Duo Butt Pin.
Images via Duolingo
Image via Duolingo
“Duo the Owl isn’t above posting a thirst trap if that’s what it takes to get you to do your lessons,” the company quips, adding that it’s tapping into “big booty energy” to engage learners.
Image via Duolingo
“Every time you see his green rear, you’ll remember to do your Duolingo,” it adds.
Ah, wisecracks—who doesn’t love them?
At the Super Bowl, Duolingo gave the owl’s assets another wink by sending out “tush notifications,” ensuring the mascot was front, center, and at the back of the minds of millions.
Image via Duolingo
This all-rounded effort was pulled off in-house as Duolingo’s marketing and design teams believed they were best equipped to do the birdy’s booty justice.
“Our designers and studio artists have a deep love for their craft and our characters, and focused on some nitty-gritty design details to get Duo’s butt ready for primetime,” the brand expresses. “Animators pored over how to get the light, shine, and shading of Duo’s butt just right.”
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Backing up their decision to continually celebrate Duo’s badonkadonk was “a lot of initial research,” which revealed an obsession with a certain niche of Duolingo memes, says the company.
“Last year, our illustrators created some cheeky images of Duo for our smartphone widget and the learner community loved them! It was clear that Duo’s butt was the easiest way to catch learners’ attention in a short amount of time—after all, that image took up just a few pixels on learners’ home screens and it still went viral,” Duolingo furthers.
yeah what about it https://t.co/hlRocXChV5
— Duolingo (@duolingo) September 11, 2023
Surprisingly, getting the idea approved was “the easy part.” When the team pitched its peachy plans to CEO Luis von Ahn, he immediately gave it the bright green light, responding, “This is weird. I like it.”
Adding a different kind of depth to the derriere, Duo even has a signature fart, recorded from the armpit of one of the company’s creative directors, who produced over 200 clips because the brand wasn’t satisfied with stock audio flatulence.
“There’s music to farts. They have an emotional range—from happy to defeated. We knew we had found the right sound when we hit on a fart with a smile,” says creative director Nicholas Forshee.
No buts. Just pure, bountiful confidence.
[via Duolingo]
