Mystery Behind Google’s UFO Doodle Revealed

Google had released a statement which did not help much in ending speculation. It stated, “We consider the second ‘o’ critical to user recognition of our brand and pronunciation of our name. We are actively looking into the mysterious tweet that has appeared on the Google twitter stream and the disappearance of the ‘o’ on the Google home page. We hope to have an update in the coming weeks.”

While some people speculated that the Earth had made contact with aliens, others believed that it was merely a publicity stunt for the new sci-fi film, District 9. Google later provided a clue on its twitter page, posting, “1.12.12 25.15.21.18 15 1.18.5 2.5.12.15.14.7 20.15 21.19.” The numbers when replaced with corresponding alphabets, read, “All your O are belong to us.” This was a reference to Zero Wing’s poor Japanese to English translation.

The first Google Doodle was to the Burning Man Festival of 1998. Google usually includes various modifications and humorous features, such as cartoon modifications of their logo, for use on holidays, birthdays of famous people, and major events, such as the Olympics. These special logos are now called Google Doodle.