why is duolingo sick

Duolingo's owl mascot, Duo, looks sick because the company intentionally changed the app icon to have a sickly appearance as a marketing tactic. This sick version features signs like a runny nose, droopy and red eye, and a sweaty, feverish look. The idea behind this is to catch users' attention and encourage them to engage with the app, especially if they haven't done their lessons for the day. Duo is "sick" as a humorous reminder that users need to keep up their lesson streaks. This change is temporary and part of Duolingo's playful approach to motivating users through visual cues on their app icon, rather than any actual issue with the mascot or app.