Dilbert

Cartoonist Scott Adams Unleashes Dilbert on Google's Homepage Logo

Dilbert, the United Feature Syndicate comic strip, is the most photocopied, pinned-up, downloaded, faxed and e-mailed comic strip in the world. Many readers, particularly those employed at large corporations, are convinced that Adams works at their companies since he conveys corporate inanities so perfectly in his comic strip. Dilbert appears in 2,000 papers in 65 countries and 25 languages, and on the Web. More than 20 million Dilbert books and calendars have been sold to date and more than half of Adams' books have made The New York Times best-seller list. What Do You Call a Sociopath in a Cubicle? A Co-Worker is set for release this fall. The first original Dilbert hardcover book by Adams in over four years, Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel, will be released this October.

In 2002, Dilbert, the world's most recognizable office worker, appeared on the homepage of Google. Dilbert and his pointy-haired boss pursued their mission of redesigning the logo on Google's homepage.

"Dilbert has had a large influence on Google's management style," said Sergey Brin, co-founder and president of Technology, Google Inc. "I am planning to adopt a pointy hairdo."

"This partnership exceeded my wildest dreams," said Scott Adams, Dilbert creator. "I hoped I would get a free Google shirt, and I got three of them plus a mug."

An office-appropriate keepsake honoring Dilbert's work on Google's corporate identity was available, as well.

Google's homepage doodles reflect Google's unusual corporate culture, where nothing is taken seriously except for search. Since the company's founding in 1998, Google has altered its logo to commemorate holidays, events, and international celebrations, including the Burning Man festival, the Olympics, Bastille Day, and Piet Mondrian's birthday.