Google is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a new animated Doodle. When users visit the search engine’s homepage and click on the Doodle, Grammy winning singer Tony Benett can be heard singing Hank Williams’ ‘Cold, Cold Heart.’
The Doodle follows a boy who looks for the best way to show his affection for a girl skilled at jumping rope and rebuffing advances. The boy searches Google to find ways to impress her. His online searches for the classic Valentine’s Day presents, including flowers, chocolate and balloons, fail to impress the girl. Even a pee-a-boo bunny doesn’t romantically impress her.
Eventually, the boy finds the answer that was before him all along-jumping rope. His heart skips a beat in rhythm with his love interest.
The Doodle’s animator, Michael Lipman, said “The animation alludes to the universality of love. These characters are archetypes, with no dialogue, so it can play around the world.”
First time Doodle animator Lipman, who co-created the animation with Google designer Willie Real, added that he could relate to the simple story. “That was every girl I met up until college. The little girl who couldn’t see the magic within (me)-she had many faces.”
The Doodle finishes with a half-dozen tiles featuring various couples, such as an astronaut and an alien; a dog and cat; and a frog and prince. There was even a tile with two tuxedoed men holding hands. Lipman said “I think Google was pretty aware of everybody in those final squares and they decided (them) with purpose.”
Written by: Karen Benardello
