Harper Sinclair – Page 27

In August 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin added a digital stick figure behind the second "o" in Google to signal they were out of the office at the Burning Man festival. That playful tweak became the first-ever Google Doodle.It was so well received that Google introduced additional logo changes, including a Thanksgiving version later that year and a Halloween version in 1999.Nearly thirty years on, Google routinely transforms its logo to celebrate global holidays, anniversaries, cultural legends, and sporting events. As technology advanced, static images evolved into interactive games and animations, beginning with the iconic Pac-Man doodle in 2010.Many of these games have left a lasting mark on internet culture, especially among millennials and Gen Z. We decided to revisit some of the most beloved Google Doodle games and the nostalgia they continue to evoke.#1 Pac-ManThe Pac-Man Google Doodle game launched in May 2010 to mark the 30th anniversary of the original arcade sensation that debuted in Japan in 1980.It was later reimagined as a Halloween edition in October 2025.Just like the classic, this Doodle pulls you in as you guide a yellow disc through tight corridors, dodging four colorful ghosts while gobbling pellets. Swiping in different directions, you relive the rush of its fast-paced simplicity.Each level only lasts as long as you can survive, and the ghosts get more aggressive the longer you stay alive.Pac-Man was named the best-selling arcade game in 2020 (per Statista), even 35 years after its original debut. Across different levels, players unlock power-ups to boost survival.Some freeze the ghosts, others launch ice beams, and a few even let you fight back by shooting at your pursuers.© Photo: Google Doodles#2 Garden GnomesGarden gnomes trace back to ancient Greek and Roman times, when they were placed in gardens as figurines representing the god Priapus. Their popularity surged in 18th-century Europe, where they evolved into beloved folklore characters.By the 19th century, Germany was mass-producing garden gnome statues and exporting them globally. To celebrate this quirky tradition, Google released a garden gnome game in 2018 set against lush German landscapes.In the game, players earn points by launching gnomes from a giant catapult to plant flowers. The mechanics are simple: tap once to start the swing, again to release the gnome, and a final tap just before landing.Like most doodles, Garden Gnomes includes power-ups. Targeting items like mushrooms or logs boosts speed and distance.After a few rounds, you unlock new gnomes, each with unique traits. Some bounce higher, some ride logs, and super gnomes soar farther.© Photo: Google Doodles#3 Coding CarrotsWhat happens when the Google Doodle team partners with MIT researchers and the Blockly crew? You get Coding Carrots.Back in 1967, Bolt, Beranek, and Newman developed Logo, the first programming language for children. It laid the groundwork for modern platforms such as Scratch Jr., Google Blockly, and LEGO Mindstorms. Google celebrated its 50-year legacy with this game during the 2017 Computer Science Education Week.In Coding Carrots, you guide a bunny through a maze using basic programming logic. Players build a sequence of movement blocks, such as go forward, turn, or repeat, to collect all the carrots. Once the sequence is set, you hit play and watch the rabbit follow your code.Each level finishes once the last carrot is grabbed, and extra commands get ignored. The game has just six levels, but each one is harder than the previous. Completing them all is a badge of coding honor.© Photo: Google Doodles#4 Halloween DoodleIn October 2016, Google launched the first chapter of its Halloween game trilogy, Magic Cat Academy. The Library of Congress notes that Halloween blends Catholic All Saints' Day traditions with the older Celtic Samhain festival.In this spooky adventure, players follow Momo, a black cat attending a school of magic. She uses spells and her wand to defeat waves of aggressive ghosts.The gameplay is simple but intense. You draw shapes like lines, circles, or zigzags to cast spells that match the symbols shown by each ghost. Defeating all the ghosts quickly lets you move to the next level.The game also includes a combo multiplier. Taking out ghosts in rapid succession boosts your score, but sometimes you must decide whether to protect your streak or eliminate immediate threats. That extra tension keeps things exciting.© Photo: Google Doodles#5 Pangolin LoveIn February 2017, Google teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to launch Pangolin Love. The game aimed to raise awareness about pangolins while also celebrating Valentine's Day.Pangolins are native to Africa and Asia, where they’re often hunted for their meat and scales. As of 2025, eight species are at risk of extinction, ranging from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered (via IUCN).In the game, a lovestruck pangolin rolls and jumps through deserts and forests to complete various tasks. With simple controls, players guide the pangolin forward, backward, and upward to gather gems and dodge obstacles.Each task helps the pangolin collect romantic gifts for his faraway sweetheart. Some challenges involve collecting musical notes to compose a tune or ribbons for learning a dance, all under a 3-minute timer. The game ends when the gifts are ready or the time runs out.Set in Ghana, India, China, and the Philippines, each level features a different species and environment. With charming animation, Google brought global attention to pangolin conservation.© Photo: Google Doodles#6 BaseballIf any game captures the American spirit, it's the baseball Google Doodle.Released on July 4, 2019, the game marked the 243rd anniversary of the United States by highlighting baseball, a sport that took root in America during the 18th century. This version, though, features a quirky twist: the players are all popular American foods.The teams include "H-Dog," the hot dog, "Wild Slice," the pizza, "Triple," the hamburger, and "The Sauce", a group of animated snacks facing off in a backyard BBQ game. Players tap or click to swing the bat and try to hit the ball just right to score runs.Each pitch brings a new challenge. Some spin unpredictably, others vanish before reaching the plate, keeping players on their toes.The pitcher, a peanut, wears a tiny hat that changes color depending on the pitch type.© Photo: Google Doodles#7 ScovilleIn 1912, American pharmacist Dr. Wilbur Scoville developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test to measure the heat level of chili peppers, giving rise to the Scoville Heat Unit.He also authored The Art of Compounding, a classic reference in pharmacy. To celebrate his 151st birthday, Google released the Scoville doodle, where players battle fiery peppers with scoops of ice cream.The goal is to cool down a charging pepper by launching ice cream at it. Tap or click to release the scoop; a perfect shot occurs when the power bar reaches the center.Each pepper has its own flair. Jalapenos shake, habaneros burst with fire, and ghost peppers at the final level shrug off anything less than a perfect hit.© Photo: Google Doodles#8 Celebrating PizzaAccording to Silicon Valley Pizza Week, five billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year, with three billion eaten in the United States. In December 2021, Google released Celebrating Pizza, an interactive Doodle game honoring the Italian origins of this beloved dish.The game works like a slicing puzzle. Each level presents a whole pizza with classic toppings and asks players to cut it into a specific number of equal slices.Players drag a virtual pizza knife across the screen, fine-tuning each cut to match the required number. The more precise the cuts, the more stars you earn.To showcase pizza’s global appeal, each level features a different regional variety, with crusts and toppings from around the world. Each one includes a quick, fun fact about its origin.© Photo: Google Doodles#9 Pony ExpressThe Pony Express was a US mail service launched in 1860, using horseback riders to carry letters from the East to the West Coast. According to the National Postal Museum, the new system cut delivery times from months to 10 days, helping connect California's gold-rich regions with the rest of the country.Though it lasted less than two years, the Pony Express became a powerful symbol of American determination. To honor its 155th anniversary in April 2015, Google released a Doodle game recreating the challenge.In the game, you play as a rider collecting scattered letters and dodging hazards across the wild trails of 19th-century America. Your score depends on how many letters you grab.Realistic challenges make the gameplay intense. Steering at full gallop is tricky, and obstacles come fast. Natural hazards like rocks and cacti try to slow you down, while bandits lurk to ambush and steal your mail.© Photo: Google Doodles#10 Soccer DoodleDuring the 2012 London Olympics, the world tuned in to watch athletes compete and unite through sport. To mark the occasion, Google released the Soccer Doodle, celebrating the four billion fans of the world's most beloved game.This mini-football game focuses solely on penalty kicks. You play as the goalkeeper, trying to block shots from the striker.Your avatar slides side to side along the goalpost. You must time each dive just right to stop the ball. As your save count rises, the shots get faster. The game ends after you let in three goals.The pace intensifies with each level. Strikers begin curving shots or slowing them down midair to throw you off, demanding lightning-fast reflexes.© Photo: Google Doodles#11 FischingerIn June 2017, Google honored Oskar Fischinger with a Doodle game celebrating his overlooked contributions to animation. In the 1920s, Fischinger created abstract films by hand-painting and photographing each frame over months of painstaking work.The process was so costly that he fled creditors in Munich to find funding in Berlin. Despite Nazi opposition to his art, he continued to produce films until relocating to the United States.Later, frustrated, he left film for painting. But his influence endures in modern animation and even Google’s own Doodles. The game was released for what would have been his 117th birthday.In the Fischinger game, players compose music and sync it with abstract shapes and visuals to build rhythmic digital art.Each click adds a musical note to the grid, which plays in a loop and triggers matching visuals. You can adjust bass, percussion, and timbre, try different styles, and even generate a link to share your creation.© Photo: Google Doodles#12 Doodle CricketCricket is the second most popular sport in the world, with 2.5 billion fans (per Sport for Business).In June 2017, Google teamed up with the International Cricket Council to celebrate the game during the eighth ICC Champions Trophy.Doodle Cricket transforms the sport into a bug-sized showdown between a bat-swinging grasshopper and snail bowlers, set in a stadium buzzing with insects. You tap or click to swing the bat and try to score runs.Just like in real cricket, timing is everything. A slight delay can cause the ball to roll into the field, resulting in fewer points.The match continues until you miss the ball entirely and get called "OUT." Cheering insects and colorful animations bring the game to life with every scored run.© Photo: Google Doodles#13 Doodle Snake GameCreated by Nokia in 1998, the Snake game was among the earliest sound-enabled mobile games and went on to sell over 350 million copies globally. It even inspired real-world championships for expert players.To celebrate the Lunar New Year 2025, the Year of the Wood Snake, Google released a Doodle remake of the classic.In this version, you grow your snake by guiding it to collect red fruits. The snake moves in all four directions, and the challenge is to keep it from crashing into walls or biting its own tail as it grows.The longer you last, the higher your score. This version adds options to adjust the snake’s speed and customize features such as fruit type (apples, grapes, strawberries), snake color, and game settings.© Photo: Google Doodles#14 Doodle Champion IslandIn 2020, Tokyo welcomed the world as athletes gathered for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. To join the celebration, Google released Doodle Champion Island, a series of seven themed mini-games.The star is Lucky, a female calico cat associated with Japanese folklore as a symbol of good luck and protection. She competes in sports across the island, facing off with mythic rivals: Tengu in table tennis, Urashima Taro in swimming, Oni in rugby, Yoichi in archery, Tanuki in skateboarding, Fukuro in climbing, and Kijimuna in track.Winning each sport earns Lucky a sacred scroll. Once she collects all seven, she becomes the Island Champion.To echo Olympic-style competition, Champion Island includes a global leaderboard split across four teams: Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow. Every win adds points to the player’s team total.© Photo: Google Doodles#15 LoteriaLoteria is a Mexican board game that traces its roots to 15th-century Italy, where it started as an upper-class pastime. When it reached Mexico in the 17th century, it became so popular that the 54-card deck became a staple of Mexican folk art worldwide.In December 2019, Google released its second multiplayer Doodle featuring Loteria. The game works like Bingo but uses illustrated cards in a grid. Players mark their cards each time a card is called out, aiming to complete a winning pattern. The first to do so yells "Loteria!" and wins the round.You can join a random game with other players worldwide or host a private match by sharing a link. Whether you're with friends or playing solo, it's an easy way to bring some classic fun into a gathering.© Photo: Google Doodles Source:Boredpanda