Independence Day 2013 Google Doodle: 4th July
Independence Day 2013 Google Doodle
The Google Doodle team have created illustrative adaptations of the Google logo to celebrate the 4th July since 2000. 2013 was no exception. The doodlers once again surpassed themselves to celebrate a special American holiday. National Day, or Independence Day, is extremely important to many American citizens. People all over the country go to great lengths in order to celebrate the day.
The 4th of July celebrations began with the unveiling of an interactive doodle on the Google homepage, the Independence Day 2013 Google Doodle.
The doodle depicted a cute family of animated dogs. Dogs were selected because: “First, the idea of dogs traveling in cars seemed to fit nicely alongside a road trip theme. Everyone has seen a happy dog with its head hanging out the window of a moving car! Second, dogs are perhaps the most physically diverse creatures on the planet and for this reason provide so much design potential.” The family embarked on a nationwide road trip, visiting many of the nation’s famous sites. The interaction doodle took the family on a trip around 13 landmarks at the click of a button. The landmarks which the family visited included: the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty. The doodle was one of the most colourful to date. Due to this, the animator was able to include many of the important events associated with July 4th. The animation ends in true 4th of July style with a firework display. The interactive Google Doodle can still be viewed at the following URL: http://www.google.com/doodles/4th-of-july.
Betsy Bauer was the doodler who created the doodle. In a blog on the Google site, she explained the Independence Day 2013 Google Doodle: “I have spent a lot of my life riding in cars. My family moved from Ohio to Virginia when I was 6, from Virginia to Indiana when I was 8, and back to Ohio when I was 12. I went to college in Florida and made the 20-hour-drive home at least twice a year. I spent 4 days in a car when I moved out to Northern California. There is something about living in the United States that is synonymous with road trips.”
The declaration of U.S. independence occurred on the 4th of July 1776. The declaration granted America independence from the British Empire. The tradition of celebrating this day began shortly after independence was announced. July 4th is still widely celebrated to this day. Celebrations often include: parades, parties picnics and social gatherings. Due to the high quality of the doodle, many are suggesting this is one of the best Google doodles produced by the team to date.