Google Doodle Celebrates 107th Anniversary of First ‘Little Nemo in Slumberland’ Comic Strip

Google Doodle Celebrates 107th Anniversary of First 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' Comic Strip

As Google gradually takes over more and more of the utility of our digital lives, thankfully they continue to entertain us with inventive and unexpected (to me at least) doodle takeovers of their home page. Today, October 15th, they celebrate the 107th anniversary of the launch of Winsor McCay’s comic strip ‘Little Nemo in Slumberland‘.

The comic appeared each Sunday in the New York Herald from October 15, 1905 – July 23, 1911, and then the New York American September 3, 1911 – July 26, 1914 where it was known as the ‘In the Land of Wonderful Dreams’.

The comic strip featured the nightly dreams of a little boy named ‘Nemo’, and his adventures to ‘Slumberland’ where King Morpheus invites him to be a playmate for his daughter, Princess Camille. Each comic strip would end with Nemo waking up just in time to avert misfortune or a certain disaster.

The Google homage, entitled ‘Little Nemo in Google Land’ faithfully recreates the style and spirit of the original comic strip in an interactive animated form. The comic strip expands as the user pulls on tabs, allowing Nemo to tumble from his bed, through the floor into a surreal ‘Slumberland’ where he’s caught by Princess Camille. A brief adventure ensues before Nemo tumbles down through several panels, ending up back in his bed.

Today’s Google doodle joins my long list of favorites that include tributes to Valentine’s Day, Star Trek, Les Paul, Martha Graham, Freddie Mercury, Jim Henson, Robert Moog and more.

USA