Digital artist and animator Movail says they removed a series of posts featuring Lily, Duolingo’s goth teen mascot, at the request of the language-learning company’s legal team. Movail announced the deletion on X on November 3, apologizing to followers, thanking them for their support and saying they planned to take a break before returning to their work.
One post published on October 31, captioned “Don’t give up on your lessons!”, reportedly received nearly 30 million views before it was removed. The artwork included Lily in provocative animated poses, according to the report. Public Patreon listings also indicate that Movail had been creating Lily-related animations for months.
In a follow-up post, Movail said they had maintained a Duolingo streak for more than four years and that Lily had been a significant motivation. Duolingo describes Lily as a “purple-haired, emo teenager.” The company has previously said that fan content featuring the character spread across Chinese social media and helped inspire Lily plushies and stickers.
The deletion prompted reposts and criticism online, with some users arguing that the move was drawing more attention to the artwork. Duolingo has not publicly detailed the legal claim behind its request. Movail did not share a notice or identify a lawyer involved, and there is no public evidence that the matter involved a lawsuit, formal copyright strike or trademark complaint.
Sources: Dexerto.