Google, the search engine that spawned its own verb, is finally 18. You did it, Google! You can now register to vote, buy cigarettes in select states, and watch porn! Naturally, the ubiquitous website celebrated its birthday in true Google style: with a doodle.
Google's doodles — say that five times fast — encapsulate the best parts of modern tech. Simultaneously silly and reverential, the artwork represents a marriage of creativity, culture, and technology. According to Google, the idea for the playful iterations of the Google logo originated at Burning Man. These days, on any given date, the website could be celebrating the birth of a little-known female science pioneer, the anniversary of a notable film, or even the first day of school.
Today's doodle: an animated "G" folding a long, green balloon into the remaining letters of the word Google.
Google notes that, though it is celebrating its birthday today, September 27, with a doodle, in the past, Google has celebrated its birthday on September 26, September 7, and September 8. Basically, it's been celebrating its birthday all month. (The Independent has investigated this fishy birthday situation, if you want more details about it.)
Regardless, we're glad to have you around, Google. Welcome to adulthood.
Click through to see all the doodles for Google's past birthdays.
For Google's 18th birthday, doodler Gerben Steenks dreamed up a simple yet goofy GIF. Much of the animation adheres to Google's traditional style. The "G" is identical to the "G" in the pure Futura logo on the site's homepage.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
Google's 17th birthday went retro. It wanted to offer "a glimpse into [its] humble beginnings, when branded hockey jerseys were cool and Savage Garden had a No. 1 single."
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
For its Sweet 16, Google brandished a pencil. Where's the party, Google? It's your Sweet 16!
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
In true Google style, the 15th birthday animation engaged the user with a game. With the click of a mouse, you could help the little "G" smack the piñata. What fun!
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
And for this birthday, 14 candles on a chocolate cake. At age 14, Google had just seen the London Olympics and the re-election of Barack Obama. The animated version of this doodle saw the disappearance of the cake as it succumbed to hungry birthday revelers.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
For Google's 13th birthday doodle, a designer named Willie Real crafted and arranged a miniature set featuring the Google letters gathered around a birthday cake.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
Wayne Thiebaud, a painter known for his portraits of pastries, took on Google's 12th birthday with this elegant illustration.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
In the pre-Futura days, the Google logo looked a little different. The company ditched these shadowed 3-D letters in 2013. The 11th birthday doodle barely changed the original logo. Instead, it added another "L" to imitate the number eleven.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
For its 10th birthday, Google got a stereo? Not fair! So many 10-year-olds around the world asked, "Why can't I get a stereo?"
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
Google opted for a classic celebration for its ninth birthday: a piñata.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
Look closely at the design — it's not just the cupcake that signifies "birthday!" The second "G" resembles the number "8" for the search engine's eighth birthday. In its early years, the Google birthday doodle often stuck to a formula — replace one letter with a number.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
Seven pieces of cake for a 7-year-old search engine! That sounds about right.
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
Happy sixth birthday, Google! For your birthday, you get three balloons! The "6" as the second "O" is a little odd here, though, don't you think?
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
True to the formula, Google used a "5" in place of the letter "G." But it's not a birthday without a party hat!
Photo: Courtesy of Google.
Small, simple, but still celebratory, Google's fourth birthday doodle was the first of such doodles to arrive on the scene. (Toddlers rarely have the dexterity to doodle before that age.)
Photo: Courtesy of Google.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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