Today marks the official 15th birthday of everyone’s favourite startup search engine turned tech giant turned Big Brother. And even though many have had their gripes, it’s hard not to look back at our Google-fuelled time online with a sense of fondness. Because no matter where you might find yourself in life, you know that Google will always be there with a delightful little doodle to commemorate every possible occasion they can find an excuse for — special or otherwise.
Because 15 years of Google Doodle’s is a lot of Google Doodles — especially when there’s no rhyme or reason to what’s deemed worthy. They were judicious with the honour in the beginning, and in fact, the only reason the whole thing got started was a matter of practicality. Larry Page and Sergey Brin wanted to let everyone know they were out of the office, so they stuck the Burning Man symbol on the page and left to go trip in the desert — the rest is history. These days, though, Doodles are less about “utility” and more about “why the hell not.” It’s Juraj Jánošík’s 325th birthday? Let’s get him on the page, then. Who’s Juraj Jánošík? Who cares! Look at the pretty picture.
So thanks to its liberal Doodle guidelines, Google has offered up some pretty incredible takes on its classic logo throughout the years. Here are our favourite ones from every year they’ve been servicing the interwebs. Don’t agree? Take a look at the collection and let us know your picks down below.
August 30, 1998 – The grandaddy of all Google Doodles, the Burning Man Festival symbol took the very first honours.
November 30, 1999 – This Uncle Sam Doodle took you to the Google search page for the United States Government.
May 5, 2000 – Every single planet was briefly almost perfectly aligned with the sun.
2000