Who created Reddit's alien mascot Snoo?

Alexis Ohanian created Reddit’s alien mascot Snoo.

Ohanian sketched the character in 2005 while he was a senior at the University of Virginia and was helping build Reddit with his roommate Steve Huffman. The simple alien appeared in early site designs and eventually became Reddit’s enduring visual symbol.

The name Snoo was connected to an early idea for the site’s name, “Snew,” which played on the phrase “What’s new?” The founders wanted a short, memorable identity, but the desired snoo.com domain was unavailable or too expensive, so the name was retained for the mascot instead.

Snoo is often mistaken for a character designed by Reddit’s programmers or for a later corporate rebrand. In fact, the original concept came from Ohanian’s notebook doodles. Later versions refined the figure’s appearance, but the recognizable alien—round head, antenna, and expressive body—remained tied to Reddit’s identity and its user community.