Google isn’t just about algorithms and metadata, it’s also a playground for the world’s digital artists to do their thing. We are, of course, talking about Google Doodles: the temporary creative tweaks occasionally made to Google’s logo, often based on current events or historic dates.
Google Doodles are produced by a team of in-house artists, engineers and other creatives over at Google’s headquarters (best job ever right?). But, from time to time, they also partner with local guest creators around the world, too! There have been over 5,000 Doodles to date, ranging from simple logo adjustments to full-on playable minigames.
Since looking at these fun artworks has added so much to using Google on a daily basis, we thought we’d take on the impossible challenge of picking out the best. There are thousands of them out there, but these are the Doodles that have stuck in our memory as the best.
We’re starting with a recent one. For the Paris Olympics, Google essentially turned its logo into a giant game of Where’s Wally?.
Upon clicking the logo, users were presented with a huge cartoon of Paris, littered with 20 of the most searched sports, moments and French icons in Olympic history. Users were challenged to find where these were hidden in the picture – a sure fire way to keep the kids busy for half an hour or so!
Everyone loves pizza, right? So, what better way to pay tribute to this irresistible treat than with an addictive minigame? That’s exactly what Google did on the 6th of December 2021 with the Celebrating Pizza Doodle.
This Doodle challenged its users to cut up a series of pizzas as evenly as possible, but only a certain number of slices are given per pizza and the toppings have to be distributed differently each time. Sounds simple, but there’s some real toughies in there as you get towards the end!
For recent international football tournaments, Google has turned its logo into a penalty shootout minigame. Users could pick a side out of the two nations competing in the tournament that day and play for their country, scoring as many goals as possible before one is finally saved by the goalie. The nation which scored the most goals in the build-up to the match was declared the winner.
On the 11th of August 2017, Google celebrated the 44th anniversary of hip hop by inviting us to channel our inner DJ.
On this Doodle, users were given a brief history lesson on “the break” (a music innovation that extended the instrumental break and led to the creation of breakdancing). Then, they were presented with a set of digital decks and records so that they could mix their own beats. How cool is that?
Don’t tell my old IT teacher, but I wasted loads of lessons playing away on this absolute classic, so this one was always going to be my personal favourite.
This Doodle, launched on the 21st of May 2010, celebrated the anniversary of Pacman by turning the logo into a playable version of the game. It was the stuff of dreams for any gamer looking to procrastinate for a few minutes. Plus, it gave you a great excuse if the teacher ever caught you in school: “I’m not playing games, I’m just on Google!”
Which is your favourite?
There have been thousands of Doodles over the years, so we’re sure we probably missed out your favourite. Be sure to let us know which ones you would’ve picked!
On the other hand, if you need some help getting your website to rank higher under these delightful Doodles, check out some of the countless insights and free resources on our site. Alternatively, get in touch to hear how our team can help you achieve your SEO goals.
