AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The Doge meme primarily features images of a Shiba Inu dog accompanied by multicolored text in Comic Sans font that represents an internal monologue. The dog, typically depicted with a curious expression, sometimes shows altered facial features. The most notable Doge exemplified in the meme is a Shiba Inu named Kabosu, who appears glaring sideways with raised eyebrows. This meme style is marked by quirky, broken English phrasings, such as 'much wow,' 'such fun.' Over time, the meme evolved from its original wholesome format to more ironic versions, and in 2024 it inspired the naming of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by president-elect Donald Trump.

OriginWho did it first?

The term 'doge' first appeared in pop culture on June 24, 2005, during an episode of the Homestar Runner puppet show where Homestar refers to Strong Bad as his 'd-o-g-e'. This usage can be seen in Biz Cas Fri 1. The meme iconography, however, truly began with a post by Atsuko Sato, a Japanese kindergarten teacher, who on February 13, 2010, uploaded multiple photos of her rescue-adopted Shiba Inu, Kabosu, to her blog. One image in particular, showing Kabosu sitting on a couch with a peculiar sidelong glance, caught the internet’s attention. Here is a brief history of Atsuko Sato's post from her blog. The image became emblematic of the meme after gaining significant attention. In December 2013, following the popularity of Doge, The Verge published a piece that pinpointed Kabosu as the dog behind the meme and mentioned another Shiba Inu named Suki, who was associated with other variations of the meme. Read The Verge's article for more on the history of Doge. The origin story of the term and its association with the particular Shiba Inu can also be traced through this YouTube video.^[1]

Origin: 2010