Hundreds of versions of Duolingo’s owl went trick-or-treating this year, and company leadership noticed.
On an earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Luis von Ahn highlighted the stream of funny and unhinged Duolingo-themed costumes people wore for Halloween this year.
“In terms of kind of being culturally relevant, et cetera, we really are seeing a complete pickup on that,” he said. “Throughout the world, certainly, there were thousands of Halloween costumes that were just Duolingo costumes.”
Von Ahn made the comment in response to an analyst’s question about whether the language learning app is focusing more on product or marketing.
“If we have a product that is extremely retentive that also teaches really well, that’s the best thing you can do, and that’s where we spend most of our efforts,” he said. “Yes, the cultural relevance matters. But to me, that’s just an accelerant to something that is where the main dish is the product.”
Duolingo is famous for its creative and guilt-inducing app notifications and social media posts. Marketing experts say the approach works, especially with Gen Z, because the app’s green owl mascot appears authentic and consistent. Whether it’s on TV, in YouTube ads, or on TikTok, where Duolingo has over 16.8 million followers, the company is among the first to tap into viral, often country-specific trends.
In the days leading up to Halloween, people shared their Duolingo-inspired costumes on TikTok, Instagram, and X. Many dressed up as the green owl mascot, while others recreated other animated characters on the app, such as Lily, a sassy, purple-haired teenager.
One costume, shared via a TikTok video, went particularly viral. The video, which has garnered 10.1 million views, featured a shirtless, muscular man in green shorts, green body paint, and a Duolingo owl mask dancing with his skeleton-costumed friend.
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The costume racked up thirsty comments from users.
One person wrote: “If this were my Duolingo reminder, I’d suddenly be the most punctual student alive.”
Another TikTok user said: “I forgot to do my Spanish, come kidnap me.”
The company got in on the joke, too.
“Yeah I’ve been working out,” Duolingo wrote in a comment on the TikTok video.
Despite revenue and active user growth this quarter, Duolingo’s shares fell as much as 20% after hours on Wednesday because the fourth quarter estimate missed analyst expectations. The company’s stock is down over 19% this year.
