Jakarta, Indonesia – Duolingo, the global mobile learning platform, and Indonesian e-commerce company Tokopedia have launched a brand collaboration that has gained widespread attention online.
The partnership brings together Duolingo’s green owl mascot, Duo, and Tokopedia’s mascot, Toped — two well-known characters in Indonesia’s digital landscape that have often been linked by local internet users through memes and online commentary.
The collaboration began with a social media activation on TikTok, where the two brands swapped identities for a day. Duo appeared on Tokopedia’s channel saying, “Not Tokopedia, don’t ask for deals,” while Toped appeared on Duolingo Indonesia’s account stating, “I’m not teaching languages.” The posts quickly went viral, with both brands updating their account bios to reference the playful mix-up.
The campaign extended offline with side-by-side outdoor billboards in central Jakarta, featuring the mascots correcting the identity confusion and highlighting each brand’s focus — Tokopedia for deals and Duolingo for accessible, fun learning.
On November 2, the brands held a joint event near Gelora Bung Karno Stadium featuring a K-pop dance battle between their mascots. The event drew large crowds and user-generated content, reflecting both companies’ engagement with fandom culture.
As part of the collaboration, Duolingo announced the opening of its first official online merchandise store in Southeast Asia, hosted on Tokopedia, which will go live on November 11, 2025.
“Expanding awareness of our characters and intellectual properties (IPs) has always been a central part of Duolingo’s brand DNA,” said Irene Tong, Duolingo’s SEA Marketing Lead. “Beyond offering universal access to education through fun and gamified experiences — we want to connect strongly with our users through memorable, relatable characters like Duo, Lily, Zari and others.”
She added, “Our partnership with Tokopedia, Indonesia’s leading e-commerce platform, to open our first online merchandise store in Southeast Asia is a significant step in bringing these beloved characters even closer to our local audience. It shows our deep commitment to being present in Indonesia — one of our most important markets worldwide.”
Meanwhile, Jonathan Theon Locanawan, head of marketing at Tokopedia, commented, “This collaboration with Duolingo showcases Tokopedia’s ongoing commitment to staying relevant while remaining true to our purpose of empowering communities across Indonesia, as well as the strength of our brand and marketing IPs as an iconic local brand.”
He added, “Through this activation, we hope that millions of local sellers on our platform and the wider public can see how Tokopedia continues to be the right destination to #ShopSafe and fulfill all their shopping and daily needs. Beyond delivering relatable content that resonates with audiences, this partnership also reflects our belief that collaboration and innovation can create meaningful impact, setting a positive example for the broader digital industry.”
