The short answer is: a lot of people are behind it! Google Doodles always appear on commemorative dates, tributes or to strengthen campaigns supported by the search giant. From static illustrations to more complex animations, including fast games, Google Doodles are already part of the search engine routine around the world. I take the opportunity to suggest some videos and recall striking Doodles on YouTube.
What are Google Doodles?
In the search engine’s words, doodles, which can be drawings or even games, always available on Google’s main page, are a form of entertainment.
Doodles are fun, surprising and often spontaneous versions of the Google logo to celebrate holidays, birthdays and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists.
The Story of Google Doodle
The story begins in 1998, even before the seeker (who until then was just a tool) became the giant company he is today. The first doodle, or the doodle concept, was born when Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin sketched out a temporary logo to indicate they would participate in Burning Man.
The duo placed the drawing of a simple toothpick doll behind the second “o” of the word Google. The idea was to send the message, in a playful way, that google’s founders were “out of the office.” Although what we might call the “first doodle” was a joke, it was there that the idea of celebrating notable events was born.
In 2000, the “Doodle plan” was followed up. Page and Brin asked Dennis Hwang — a Google intern at the time, now a niantic designer — to create a Doodle for Bastille Day (A French holiday on July 14, in memory of the Bastille Take, 1789, when the popular character of the French Revolution began).
Doodle was so successful that Hwang was named “Google’s chief doodler” —a very specific position, wasn’t it? And so doodles started showing up more often on Google’s homepage, celebrating dates like Halloween.
Initially, most doodles celebrated holidays on the search engine pages dedicated to countries. But today, they address a variety of important events and dates for global pop culture, from the birthday of John James Audubon (illustrator of The Birds of America) to sundae’s birthday (yes, ice cream).
Who’s behind Google Doodles?
The question that remains to be answered is: today, who is behind Google Doodles?
A lot of people… the creation of new doodles is currently the responsibility of a team of illustrators (called doodlers) and programming engineers.
As such, the creation of doodles became a teamwork. You’ve probably seen animated Doodles, with games that ask you to solve puzzles or programming exercises for kids. Who doesn’t remember Doodle Pac Man?
Currently, it is Jessica Yu who holds the position of “Doodle Team Lead”. She posted in 2019 a vacancy with the requirements to work on her Doodles team on LinkedIn.
Google 4 Doodle
Another initiative is the “Doodle 4 Google“, an annual competition in selected countries for children to create a doodle for Google that will have the same prominence as the doodles created by the designers. The contest is usually dedicated to a theme.
In addition to the Doodle featured on Google’s homepage, children earn scholarships, as do schools that receive “technology packages.” Sharon Sara, a student from Texas, won the contest in 2020 and has already “donned the shirt” of Doodle himself.
Doodle Shop
Speaking of shirt, you can also find some “Google products” in the “Official Merchandise Store” (googlemerchandisestore.com), with more variety in the region dedicated to the United States and Canada. There are several other interesting items in the store.
A quick Q&A!
How many Doodles has Google created?
Google claims it has created more than 4,000 doodles worldwide.
Is there a history of ancient Doodles?
Yes! You can consult here(google.com/doodles#archive).
There is also a link to interactive Doodles(google.com/doodles?q=interactive).\
Who chooses which doodles will be created?
A group of Googlers (Google employees) come together to come up with ideas and decide which events will be held. The ideas come from all over the world, including Googlers themselves and also search engine users. The selection process values people and events that reflect Google’s personality and love of innovation.
Can I submit an idea or doodle request?
Yes, you can!
Google releases an email ([email protected]) in which it receives ideas for the next doodles. Note, however, that the team receives hundreds of requests every day and may not respond at all. But make sure you take it all into consideration.
See also other videos about the team of doodlers on YouTube:
