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Google's Doodles: the history through your favourites Jan 20, 2022

Giovanni_S , Jan 20, 2022 :

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Whether it's on New Year's Eve, in the middle of summer, or at any other time of the year, Google is always ready to serve you your warm and toasty search results through news, images, or that song you can't quite remember the lyrics of. 😏

However, the way Google presents itself is far from static. It frequently spices things up through Doodles – changes in its logo, and sometimes the entire webpage, to commemorate a recurring event or a one-time special occasion.



Looking back at its origins, you can really get a grasp of how far Doodles have come. We got a sight of the first episode of what would become a beloved series all the way back in 1998 (and yes! Google did exist back then).

[Well, the pedant in me would like to point out that Google as a company did not exist back then, meaning that Doodles actually predate the company. Honestly, how cool! 🤯]

The lovely stickman poking out from behind the "o" was initially envisioned as an out-of-office sign for the whole community to see. This was a minor change, yet the new look and the original design were well received by users worldwide and set the foundations for what would become a staple in the tech giant's identity.

Doodles were kept somewhat on the sidelines for the following years, with production handled by outside contractors. They were few and far between, yet that didn't stop people from requesting them.

A big leap forward
In 2000, the Doodle made for Bastille Day 🇫🇷 (celebrated on the 14th of July) by Dennis Hwang gained massive popularity among the French and international audience.
The unexpected success of Dennis's first design for Google led to a massive shift in the future of the Doodle. A brand new in-house team took over the whole creative process, from brainstorming to publishing.

Their name?

The Doodlers!

Source

Under the leadership of Dennis Hwang, who quickly rose to the rank of "Chief Doodler," the team grew in size, and so did the Doodles they produced. As technology advanced and styles changed, the uptick in quantity was accompanied by a significant rise in quality, with a shift towards animations and interactive games.
Even though simplicity has remained a constant over the years, I would still rank some Doodles far higher than the average mobile game (or perhaps that's just reflecting on my thoughts on most mobile games🤷)


Aside from the actual Doodles, the team of alien hamsters definitely real humans is also busy with Doodle4Google, the annual competition for children in the US to design a Doodle around a given theme.

The winner receives a college scholarship and their school a large sum of money to spend on equipment, but maybe the best prize is working with the team to animate the Doodle and have it replace the logo of the world's biggest search engine for millions to see. 👀

The prompts are kept fairly broad so that any child can let their imagination run wild without being constrained by strict guidelines and have a thin string to tie it all together.

This year's theme is:
"I care for myself by..."

Try to imagine what your young self would have drawn based on that! 😁



Source

With over a thousand Doodles created so far, it's hard to pick a favourite.

Some get their charm from the illustrious lives of the people they wish to honor.
Others are cool games you'd want to play even after the Doodle's airtime is over. 🥲
Others still, you almost feel like they could replace Google's logo permanently.

You may also prefer a design just because of what it represents to you. I, for one, would have to give the crown to the Halloween 2016 Doodle. For years, it has been the image that comes to mind when I think of a Doodle.


So my question for you is this:

What's your favourite Doodle?​

• Visit the Doodle archives
• Pick one (Good luck😅)
• Share the link or maybe a picture
• Join the discussion in the comments! 😁