Google Doodle

The Google homepage doodles are known for their whimsical celebration of holidays, but past creations can't hold a candle to the jack-o'-lantern heavyweights featured in today's Halloween Google Doodle.

Six giant pumpkins, the biggest weighing in at 1,298 pounds, were brought to the Google campus ready for a team of doodlers to start their G-O-O-G-L-E carvings. With the seeds emptied out of each pumpkin, people were easily able to fit their heads within the cavernous walls. In fact, some of the pumpkins' exteriors measured six inches deep, requiring a saw to carve through the thickest parts. See how these great pumpkins were carved in the full behind-the-scenes video:

To watch the final product, a time-lapse video of the carving event, check out the completed Halloween Doodle:

Google seems to outdo itself every time there's a new Doodle on its homepage, and now mobile users will get a taste of the action as well. Google has released mobile Doodles on special occasions in the past (Summer Olympics, anyone?), but now the custom art will be available for Android and iPhone users on the go on a more regular basis or anytime you see a new version on Google's web homepage.

Just visit m.google.com to see it for yourself, however, Google doesn't say if they'll be as interactive as the regular web versions. I'd love to play Google Pac-Man on the bus. Just sayin'.

Google may go out of its way to honor significant moments in time with interactive and/or animated Doodles, but now the company is celebrating your big day with a Doodle meant just for you. Announced on Google's blog over the weekend, if you upload your birthday into your Google Profile, you'll get a birthday surprise in the form of a custom Doodle. Clicking on it adds another layer of fun, but unfortunately I can't tell you what that is exactly since my birthday isn't for another few months. Plus, I don't want to spoil the fun.

It would be nearly impossible to beat the awesomeness that was the interactive Pac-Man doodle that Google posted on its main search page back in May, but today's video doodle may come close.

In honor of John Lennon's 70th birthday tomorrow, Google has created an animated video doodle set to the tune of "Imagine" on its homepage. It's a quick vid, and once it's finished playing it takes you to the John Lennon Google search page so you can catch up on your Lennon history. Check out the animation for yourself after the break.

The game you know and love as Pac-Man is celebrating its 30th anniversary tomorrow, and in honor, Google has transformed its logo into an interactive, 256-level Pac-Man game. It's a serious time waster in itself, but if you have a friend who wants to play along, just click the "Insert Coin" button next to the Google Search box, and Ms. Pac-Man will pop on the scene so you both can get into some multiplayer action. Just use the WASD keys to play along. Perfect timing, Google — I needed a Friday morning pick-me-up (and I don't even need any quarters). This year's Google Doodle will be active for 48 hours — game on!