Wait, That Says "Google"?!

Today's Google doodle celebrates Robert Bunsen. Here are some other obscure doodles.

The complicated and interactive Google doodle for March 31 celebrates Robert Bunsen's 200^th birthday. Back in 2009, The Big Money took a look at the most obscure Google doodles in the company's history, including doodles to mark the birthdays of Dr. Seuss and Jackson Pollock.

It seems pretty unfathomable that 10 years ago most people had no idea what Google (GOOG) was. Needless to say, now that its home page is among the most-viewed pages on the Internet, its brand is fairly well-known. But has Google become too smug about just how recognizable its name is? Its increasingly obscure daily logos suggest that might be the case. This logo, for example, ran in June to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the video game Tetris. While game enthusiasts might have been amused, lots of people were probably just puzzled.
On May 18, 2008, Google celebrated the 125^th birthday of Walter Gropius, a renowned architect known for incorporating modern technology into his building designs.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
Google written in Braille appeared on the home page on Jan. 4, 2006. A nice tribute to Louis Braille, who created a reading system for the visually impaired, perhaps, but the color-coded signage is useless to anyone for whom Braille is actually intended.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
This logo appeared on March 2, 2009, the birthday of children's book author and illustrator Dr. Seuss. Here's the breakdown: G: the Cat in the Hat; o: red fish; o: creatures from Hop on Pop; g: Blue fish; l: the Grinch; e: Fox in Socks.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
Google celebrated modern painter Jackson Pollock's birthday on Jan. 28, 2009, with a logo crafted in his artistic style. It's abstract, obviously.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
Google paid tribute to the invention of the first laser on May 16, 2008, with this illuminating display.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
This logo appeared on July 7, 2008, the anniversary of the publication of Pinocchio in Italy. Even though the letters are barely legible, Google stays true to its traditional color scheme: A Blue G, red o, yellow o, blue g, green l, and red e.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
In November 2008, Google celebrated Portuguese Scientific Culture Day with this logo.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
Google celebrated the Persian New Year on March 20, 2006, with a capital G followed by traditional symbols of the holiday. This is among a handful of logos that upset some people who complained that Google did not alter the logo for some important U.S. holidays, while recognizing other countries' special days.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
Google carved its name out of wood in honor of Alexander Popov, who is recognized in Russia as the inventor of the radio. This logo only appeared on the search page in Russia, probably because most people outside of the country don't credit Popov with the invention.
Credit: Google.com logo gallery
Google posted this logo on its search page on July 12 in selected countries in honor of Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet and politician. This illustration seems to allude to his anthology On the Blue Shore of Silence. Soul searching meets Web searching—how poetic!
Credit: Google.com logo gallery

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