What was the name of Google’s first doodle, published in 1998?

Google’s first doodle, published in 1998, featured the Burning Man symbol.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin placed the design on Google’s homepage to tell users that they were attending the Burning Man Festival in Nevada and might be unavailable if the company’s servers experienced problems. The small alteration became the first Google Doodle.

The original image was not a fully developed interactive illustration like many later doodles. It was a simple stick-figure Burning Man symbol positioned behind the Google logo. Google later began publishing doodles to recognize holidays, anniversaries, scientists, artists, and major events.

Google Doodles are often mistaken for a separate product or for the name of the first artwork. “Burning Man” is the subject of the first doodle, while Google Doodle is the broader name for the homepage feature. The tradition became a global part of Google’s visual identity.