FILE - This Oct. 1, 2011 file photo, shows the Google logo at the Google headquarters in Brussels. Google is sifting through the photos and commentary on its blossoming social network so its Internet search results can include more personal information. (AP Photo/dapd, Virginia Mayo) (Photo: )
Google on November 22 wished all its U.S. users a Happy Thanksgiving 2012 by transforming its search engine's home page logo into a holiday parade homage, complete with giant balloon letters that spell out "Google" and floats that resemble a turkey, a pie and a cornucopia.
The backdrop for the festive scene appears to be inspired by New York City, which every year hosts the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with its elephantine balloons and its ornate floats.
Take a look at the Thanksgiving doodle (below), and scroll further down to see a gallery of some of our favorite Google Doodles.
Further down Google's home page, past the logo, the company has posted a link to a landing page for several Google-branded services that is says will help families make the most of the holiday. Products listed include Google Hangouts, a Google+ feature that lets groups of people participate in online video chats; Flight Tracker, a tool that lets users keep an eye on specific flight schedules; Product Search, which may aid Black Friday shoppers hunting for the best bargains; and several others.
This year's Thanksgiving Google Doodle is decidedly lower-key than last year's interactive logo that let users dress a turkey in endless combinations of colored feathers, shoes and headgear.
On November 7, 2011 Google celebrated what would have been the 144th birthday of the mother of radioactivity, two-time Nobel Prize winning scientist Marie Curie.
On January 18, 2012, Google joined Wikipedia, Reddit and thousands of other sites for a content blackout in protest of proposed Congressional legislation calling for strict enforcement of U.S. copyright law online. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) drew the ire of web users who feared these bills would lead to unchecked web censorship. As a result of the massive protest, key Congressmen who had previously supported the bills reversed their positions; SOPA and PIPA were tabled indefinitely.
Burning Man
The first-ever Google doodle was a simple stick figure behind the second "O" in the logo on Aug. 30, 1998. It represented the founders' recent trip to the Burning Man festival.
Happy Halloween
Google wished users "Happy Halloween" Oct. 31 with a new video doodle that shows a team of crafty Googlers carving six enormous pumpkins to spell out the search engine's name.
Google celebrated its 13th anniversary on September 27, 2011, with a simple, birthday-themed doodle and a scrapbook-style doodle featuring the company's logo letters dressed in a birthday hats and sitting around presents and a birthday cake. Check out more photos here.
Mother's Day
On Mother's Day May 8th, Google tipped its hat to moms everywhere with a spring-themed logo with a purple flower in place of the "L."
Royal Wedding
Google celebrated the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011 with a Google doodle depicting a festively illustrated panorama of Westminster Abbey, where the royal knot was tied.
Yuri Gagarin
On 12 April 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter outer space. Google's commemorative logo was dedicated to Gagarin's flight into space.
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