May 18, 2012
Doodle 4 Google 2012 - US by Dylan Hoffman
This Doodle’s Key Themes
We run Doodle 4 Google competitions all around the world (and if you just search our site for 'doodle 4 google' you can see the winners from over the years) and today the whole doodle team was able to come to New York City to celebrate the 2012 US winner, Dylan Hoffman. This always ends up being one of the most fun and special days of the year and this was no exception!
The theme was "If I could travel in time, I'd visit..." and we received 114,000 submissions with travels ranging from visiting the dinosaurs, to Victorian England, the 60s, and into the future (where we saw lots of robots, which we love here at Google!). That number was then narrowed that down to 250 finalists and from there a group of guest judges came up with the 50 state winners who all got to join us in NYC to celebrate.
The day was filled with hearing some inspirational (or just hilarious) words from our judges, arts and crafts with the doodle team, and a range of activities that traveled through time. The day wrapped up with the unveiling of all 50 doodles at the New York Public Library.
Marissa Mayer, VP of Product Management; Ryan Germick, our chief doodler; Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the creator of Phineas and Ferb; Jordin Sparks, recording artist and American Idol winner; Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, creators of The Spiderwick Chronicles; Mo Willems, children's author and animator
Willie and one of our state finalists doodling!
Doodles being unveiled
Tada!
Such an amazing day! Congratulations to all the 50 finalists and to our National Winner, Dylan, and his whole family. To all the budding artists out there... Keep doodling and get ready for next year!
Where this Doodle appeared
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Did you know?
The very first Doodle launched as an “out of office” message of sorts when company founders Larry and Sergey went on vacation.
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The first Doodle launched in 1998, before Google was officially incorporated.
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The first same day Doodle was created in 2009 when water was discovered on the moon.
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Doodle for Google student contest winners have gone on to become professional artists
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The time it takes from sketch to launch for a Doodle varies widely: some have taken years and others just a few hours!
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Hundreds of Doodles launch around the world every year. Often, several different ones are live in different places at the same time!
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Our most frequently recurring Doodle character is Momo the Cat - named after a real-life team pet!
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