Atsuko Sato sits with her Japanese shiba inu dog Kabosu, best known as the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. Photo: Philip FONG / AFPCelebrate Youth Month with Briefly News! Nominate a young entrepreneur under 35 with an inspiring story to be our 7th 'Young Money Maker'. Let's shine a light on their achievements together!
In 2010, two years after adopting the shiba inu, Sato posted a picture on her blog of Kabosu crossing her paws on the sofa and giving the camera a beguiling look."She's pulling a weird face," Sato laughed."Now I think she looks really nice" in the famous photo but"at first I thought it could be trashed".Kabosu, best known as the face of cryptocurrency Dogecoin, sits in front of a manhole cover featuring her image in the city of Sakura, Japan.
"In the last few years I've been able to connect the online version of Kabosu, all these unexpected things seen from a distance, with our real lives."Kabosu spends most days resting in a cart at the kindergarten or on a big cushion at home, where fan-made Doge tributes adorn the walls. Kabosu fell ill with leukaemia and liver disease at the end of 2022, and Sato is sure the"invisible power" of prayers from fans worldwide helped her pull through.Sato and Own The Doge have also donated large sums to international charities, including more than $1 million to Save the Children. The NGO says it is"the single largest crypto contribution" it has ever received.
Fellow founder Jackson Palmer"drank a beer and saw the doge meme and Bitcoin in the news and thought saying he was gonna invest in Dogecoin would make a funny tweet", he said.Since then, Dogecoin has been backed by stoner hip-hop king Snoop Dogg,"Shark Tank" entrepreneur Mark Cuban and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, who once tweeted:"I bought Dogecoin... six figures.