By
Lee Moran
Last updated at 5:31 PM on 31st December 2011
Google has ended what has been a creative year for its homepage Doodles on a decidedly low note – with visitors being greeted by a simple illustration of its letters having a party.
The L may be wearing a top-hat and the E shooting a party-streamer – but the image, which points browsers to results for ‘Happy New Year’, has been labelled a disappointment.
Critics say it lacks the originality of 2011’s finest works, which have included Muppets making music, a playable guitar and an interactive turkey dressed in different costumes.
Scroll down for video of Google’s end-of-year review and all Doodles for 2011
Let down: Google’s Doodle for the end of 2011 has failed to inspire
But it does promote Google’s year-in-review video, seen as an ambitious attempt to tell the story of the past 12 months.
A link is provided beneath the Doodle, with the caption: ‘What a year. Watch and remember the biggest moments of 2011.’ It includes images of headline-dominating events.
The death of singer Amy Winehouse, the Occupy protests, the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the Japanese tsunami all feature.
Incidents known to have been influenced by the internet and social networking also make an appearance, such as the Arab Spring revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.
Turn of the evening: Google’s Doodle turns to this image on the strike of midnight
And on the stroke of midnight, the Doodle changes to become a more sombre affair.
The computer wizards at Google regularly produce artistic Doodles in celebration of famous people and landmark events.
For the end of 2010 Google’s ‘oogl’ was replaced with the Roman numerals for 2011 – MMXI. And,
Past themes include American animator Art Clokey, Jules Verne, Thomas Edison, The Flintstone’s 50th anniversary, Frankenstein – and even the anniversary of the invention of the ice-cream sundae.
One of the most popular – though perhaps not with Britain’s bosses – was the 2010 Doodle that celebrated the 30th anniversary of hit arcade classic Pac-Man.
In this instance the Google logo became a fully playable version of the game.
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For ‘critics labelled it a disappointment’ read ‘the writer and his mates weren’t impressed’. Does anyone else care enough to feel let down by Google’s doodles?
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I was (like the majority of people) heartbroken by Google lackluster attempt to capture the excitement of the new year.
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