Play Google Zipper
Quick Facts
- Summary
- The Google logo becomes a giant working zipper. Pull it open and see what’s inside!
- Creator
- Launched
- 2012-04-24
- Status
- Restored
(Discontinued by Google)
Try the Easter Egg
The Original Easter Egg
How It Started
Google released the Zipper Doodle on April 24, 2012, for Gideon Sundback’s 132nd birthday. His work helped establish the modern zipper, which the Doodle represented with a large pull running through the Google logo.
Dragging the pull opened the homepage along its center.
What It Did
Pulling the zipper down opened the homepage from the middle, just like unzipping a jacket. The two sides folded away, and a results page appeared underneath.
You could pull it down to open it, then pull it back up and watch the whole page zip shut again.
Impact and Reach
The tribute put Sundback’s work into motion: the homepage opened and closed like a zipper. Pulling it apart revealed a results page underneath.
Its Discontinuation
The Zipper Doodle appeared on Google’s homepage on April 24, 2012, and its homepage display ended the next day. Google’s Doodle archive retains a static image; the original draggable interaction is no longer available there.
The Restored Experience
What’s Different Here
The giant zipper opens the homepage down the middle, as in the original Doodle. While you hold the pull, you can move it in either direction; releasing it lets the animation finish automatically.
The Easter Egg Experience
Click the button above to bring out the giant zipper. Hold the pull and drag it down to open the page along its center. Keep holding if you want to move it back up; release it to let the animation finish and see what’s underneath.
How to Try It
- Click the button above to open the Doodle.
- Find the zipper pull on the Google logo.
- Hold the pull with your mouse or finger and drag it down to open the page.
- While still holding it, move the pull back up to close the opening, or let go to finish the animation.
- After you return to this page, click the button above to try again.
You can also click or tap the Google logo to run the opening animation without dragging. With a keyboard, use Tab to focus the logo, then press Enter or Space.
Final Thoughts
Try moving the pull slowly before you let go. The opening follows your hand, turning a familiar fastening into something that can pull a whole homepage apart.
Try the Easter Egg
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the Google Zipper?
Google released the Zipper Doodle on April 24, 2012, for Gideon Sundback’s 132nd birthday. A draggable zipper ran through the homepage logo to commemorate his work on the modern zipper.
You could click and drag the pull to unzip the page and see what was underneath, then zip it back up. It was one of Google’s early interactive Doodles.
Like other homepage Doodles, it was only on the Google homepage for one day, April 24, 2012. This restored page brings the zipper back so you can try it anytime.
How can I play the Google Zipper Doodle?
Click the button above, then hold the zipper pull with your mouse or finger and drag it down. You can move it back up while still holding it. When you let go, the animation finishes automatically and returns you to this page. Click the button above to try again.
