I think in many English speaking countries there is little understanding that these are actually distinct characters in other countries. It also seems popular

I think in many English speaking countries there is little understanding that these are actually distinct characters in other countries. It also seems popular to use the Danish/Norwegian ø instead of o, one example is an energy drink called mønster. I think they meant to write monster but tried to be cool, however mønster is a real word in Norwegian that translates to the English "pattern". Monster in Norwegian is the same as monster in English. For reference, ø sounds like the i in the English word bird or e in herd or herbs.