15 of Google's Coolest Doodles

Miles Bergstrom
Miles Bergstrom

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google-doodleIt takes a lot to get me to stop and stare, but the Google homepage always grabs my attention with their daily doodle. The designs are amazing, they're interactive, they're often timely, and some are even shareable.

The first doodle ever featured the image of "The Burning Man." Google founders used it as a way to let folks know they were out of the office attending the music and arts festival. 

Bruing_Man_Doodle

After that, a few more doodles started popping up on holidays. Eventually, it was determined that doodles would become a mainstay. 2,000 doodles later, it’s clear it’s been quite successful. To celebrate these delightful little pieces of content, I curated some of my favorite Google doodles ever -- take a look!

1) Back to Mother Nature

Recently Google held their annual Doodle 4 Google contest. Each year there's a theme associated with the contest, and this years was "If I Could Invent One Thing To Make the World a Better Place." It prompted young artists to submit their ideas of machines that could build a better tomorrow. The winning doodle belongs to 11 year-old Audrey Zhang; who created her doodle after learning that not everyone in the world has clean drinking water. Her invention would purify water rapidly, allowing everyone access to clean drinking water. 

Screen_Shot_2014-06-09_at_11.41.14_AM

2) Robert Moog

Interactive and shareable, this doodle is a game changer. The doodle team along with engineers recreated one of Moog’s synthesizers from the 1960s. Not only was it playable, but you could record and share songs you created with friends! It’s one of the best examples of how cool their doodles can be.

Moog_Doodle

Interactive Version

3) Freddie Mercury

On what would have been his 65th birthday, Google’s doodle for Freddie Mercury made sure his presence was felt. It was a charismatic tribute featuring wildly colorful animations of the late Queen front man backed by “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

Screen_Shot_2014-06-06_at_9.57.54_AM

You can check out an even more epic video version of the doodle, too:

 

4) First Human in Space

Honoring Yuri Gagarin, this piece pulls out the nostalgic stops. It has the bold colors and graphics that adorned mid-century travel and space exploration posters, along with the subtle details that set it apart.

Space_Doodle

5) Les Paul

Another interactive doodle, this one's celebrating Les Paul’s birthday, featuring a playable 10 string guitar which you can strum -- and even record your music!

Les_Paul_Doodle

Interactive Version

6) Alan Turings 100th Birthday

Alan Turing was the man who “cracked the code" for the Allies during World War II; he made it possible to receive and read letters sent by Axis forces. Google celebrates his legacy with a digital version of the Turing Machine.

Turning_Doodle

Interactive Version

7) Halloween

Halloween 2012 brought trick or treating to life on the Google homepage. Complete with monster neighbors, unfortunately there was no candy -- but you could click on the doors to see what popped out from behind.

Halloween_Doodle

8) Sochi 2014 Olympics

Always the newsjacker, Google didn't disappoint with a doodle that captured the spirit of the 2014 Olympics, and celebrated their athletes.

Socchi_Doodle

9) Berlin Wall 20th Anniversary

Google celebrated the anniversary of the reuniting of East and West Germany with this doodle. However, it only made an appearance in Germany -- how's that for personalization?

Berlin_Wall_Doodle

10) SOPA/PIPA

Google used their doodle as a means of protesting the controversial SOPA/PIPA by blacking out their logo.

SopaPIPA_Doodle

11) Yosemite National Park

Celebrating 123 years, this Google doodle combines the natural beauty of the park while celebrating its heritage.

Yosemite_Doodle

12) JFK 50th Anniversary

Google created their signature logo with text from Kennedy’s inaugural speech, and replaced the second "g" in their name with a portrait of the late President.

JFK_Doodle

13) Frank Zamboni

Honoring the man who made the ice-resurfacing machine all hockey fans know and love, this doodle is another interactive gem. In fact, Google chose to turn it into an 8-bit game! How fast can you clean the ice?

Zamboni_Doodle

Interactive Version

14) Grimm Fairy Tales

For the 200th Anniversary of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Google created a slide show telling the story of “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Grimm_Doodle

15) PAC-MAN 30th Anniversary

To celebrate PAC-MAN's 30th birthday, Google posted a playable version of the classic 80s arcade game. No quarters required! (But time will be wasted.)

PAC-MAN_Doodle

Interactive Version

What's your favorite Google doodle?

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Topics: Google Updates

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