The style and fun Google approaches their logo doodles nowadays makes for an entertaining visit to Google’s search page. Whether it’s Pac-Man, Les Paul or Alexander Calder’s nifty mobile–all courtesy of robust HTML5-style web design–the Google Doodles rarely disappoint.
Actually, they’re never disappointing, even if they aren’t as obvious as others. With that in mind, the latest worldwide Google Doodle–more on the “worldwide” aspect in a second–celebrates one of the most famous lead singers who’s walked the planet, the incomparable Freddie Mercury of Queen. In true modern web development fashion, the latest celebratory logo is done with all of the HTML5 goodlness you’ve come to expect from Google and their new path regarding doodles.
When clicked, the logo loads an animated Queen performance of “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and it’s awesome. Because Google hasn’t yet allowed embedding of their awesome animation-rich logos, the power of YouTube will have to suffice:
If there’s a better way to search the web, it needs to introduce itself in a hurry.
As indicated, the Freddie Mercury Google Doodle can be viewed on a worldwide basis, but for obvious reasons, its not available in the United States. Mercury’s birthday is on September 5, 1946, and in 2011, that’s the same day the United States celebrates Labor Day, which falls on the first Monday of September. It’s pretty clear Google didn’t want to appear disrespectful to its United States visitors. That being said, the fact there’s not a Labor Day logo for IP addresses originating in the U.S. is little surprising.
With that in mind, you can view the Freddie Mercury logo on just about any international Google index page, but, considering the Doodle’s subject matter, a link the British Google homepage is only logical. Granted, Mercury wasn’t born in England, but he certainly made his fame there. Speaking of, here’s a tried-and-true Queen song to continue the celebration:
And if you have the time, I seriously recommend Queen’s 1986 performance at Wembley Stadium. The official Queen YouTube page is also offering it as a celebration of Mercury birthday. It’s over 90 minutes long, but if there’s nothing on the docket, it’s worth the watch:
Thoughts on Google’s latest? Let us know in the comments.