With the first five slots in our countdown of the 15 best Google Doodles boxed off, the next five places on our list celebrate sports, music and literature.
10) John Lennon’s 70th Birthday – October 8, 2010
The John Lennon Doodle featured a series of moving sketches, twisting and converging in a subtle kaleidoscope of symbolic imagery. The drawings conform closely to the style of Lennon’s famous self-portrait – a minimalistic rendering of his iconic round glasses and long hair. To top it off, the animation is set against a segment from the artist’s influential single Imagine.
9) Jules Verne’s 183rd Birthday – February 8, 2011
If Jules Verne’s ground-breaking novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea didn’t feature in your childhood, you may have missed out. A Doodle celebrating the French author’s birthday put users in control of the Nautilus – the protagonist’s deep sea vessel. The Google logo became its brass portholes and users could explore the ocean depths using a joystick.
8) Basketball 2012 – August 8, 2012
To anyone who played the button-bashing sports of the 80s’ 8-bit gaming era, the basketball instalment of Google’s interactive Doodles celebrating a summer of sports was a familiar but nostalgic affair. Players have 24 seconds to get as many balls through the hoop as possible, with the little on-screen man gradually moving further away from the mark. Eighth place in this list was admittedly a close tie between this and the Slalom Canoe Doodle, but we felt the basketball game won over in the end for its simplicity.
7) Freddie Mercury’s 65th Birthday – September 5, 2011
Arguably one of Google’s more cinematic homages, the Freddie Mercury Doodle opens with the members of Queen playing their hit single Don’t Stop Me Now – before frontman Freddie Mercury rockets offstage, trailing a fiery rainbow, on a psychedelic adventure involving pixelated tigers and racing cars.
6 ) Les Paul’s 96th Birthday – June 9, 2011
The Les Paul Doodle certainly ranks among the coolest. To honour the American musician and co-designer of one of the world’s most popular electric guitars, Google let users pluck a set of guitar strings using the curser and record 30 seconds of their strummings. As a testament to the vast number of individuals accessing Google’s search tool every day, a whopping 40 million mini tracks were recorded within a space of 48 hours. Businesses without a comprehensive SEO strategy in place should take note.
Next, we’ll conclude our countdown with the top five places on our list of the best Google Doodles.
- Twitter jumps aboard the auto-play bandwagon - June 19, 2015
- What I learned at SAScon 2015 - June 15, 2015
- Startup launched by Google to revamp city life - June 12, 2015
Ek Mary Nuey Boonkong liked this on Facebook.
The #weekend is here!! Have fun whatever you’re doing. If you fancy a bit of reading, try this: SF