# An animal for Julia?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322>\
**Category:** Community\
**Tags:** marketing, branding, animals\
**Created:** [October 8, 2017, 10:20am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322 "2017-10-08T10:20:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cormullion](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cormullion/32/49131_2.png) [@cormullion](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/cormullion)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 10:20am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/1 "2017-10-08T10:20:59Z")

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In that long “What can we do to make Julia grow fast” [thread](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/what-can-we-do-to-make-julia-grow-fast/), @John_Hearns [suggests](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/what-can-we-do-to-make-julia-grow-fast/6130/19) that what Julia really needs is a cuddly animal. (I’m not sure I totally agree with him but it’s an interesting idea to pursue… 🙂

The trouble is that, like good names, so many of the good ideas have already been used. The software/animal trope that O’Reilly books popularized used any old random animal they had a print of lying around:

![oreilly-books](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/9/9/99c8c58beeb895a33facb3cdc1494d1955aa5352.png)

Suitable animals like the cheetah have been grabbed (the Cheetah templating engine for Python…).

So finding a distinctive and less-commonly used animal mascot might be difficult. However, we could investigate some mythological creatures:

 ![wikipedia-page](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/3/0/30baa7b34c94b8ee3cbce92368010a00fa195486.png)

I could imagine an imaginary beast like the Julyax being quite cute if an artist got to work on it. I’m not an artist, but I think this little beast might have some promise - I added a few Julia colors:

![34-400](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/7/b/7b64d6eff749e78b79c6e80d8e656775c1a327b2.png)

She’s cuter than a horse-shark, that’s for sure…

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**Author:** ![Datseris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/datseris/32/13406_2.png) [@Datseris](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Datseris)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 10:28am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/2 "2017-10-08T10:28:40Z")

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hahahahaha I am dying now

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**Author:** ![Evizero](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/evizero/32/10118_2.png) [@Evizero](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Evizero)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 10:35am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/3 "2017-10-08T10:35:14Z")

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FWIW I feel like the three dots are already great and very recognizable. They look modern and friendly but still feel professional. Having some avatar just adds a certain kind of silliness. I don’t get the appeal.

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**Author:** ![xiaodai](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/xiaodai/32/15937_2.png) [@xiaodai](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/xiaodai)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 11:38am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/4 "2017-10-08T11:38:19Z")

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Tech has always a bit irreverent. Look at copyleft and [GNU is not Unix](https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mg77dy/in-google-v-oracle-the-nerds-are-getting-owned). I don’t see why Julia can’t be.

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**Author:** ![giordano](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/giordano/32/2166_2.png) [@giordano](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/giordano)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/5 "2017-10-08T12:37:37Z")

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Did you really [invent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk) all of that? 🤣

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**Author:** ![chakravala](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/chakravala/32/6832_2.png) [@chakravala](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/chakravala)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/6 "2017-10-08T13:52:43Z")

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yo, that `Julyax` is awesome ~

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**Author:** ![favba](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/favba/32/2735_2.png) [@favba](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/favba)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/7 "2017-10-08T14:14:51Z")

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A Pegasus:

[https://goo.gl/images/rQmuYB![pegasus-B|537x402](upload://4LkIIsAE2T6HUpjyNf4nl8ELFqZ.png)](https://goo.gl/images/rQmuYB!%5Bpegasus-B%7C537x402%5D(upload://4LkIIsAE2T6HUpjyNf4nl8ELFqZ.png))

Julia is fast and a bit magical 😄

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**Author:** ![ChrisRackauckas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/chrisrackauckas/32/77_2.png) [@ChrisRackauckas](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ChrisRackauckas)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/8 "2017-10-08T15:54:19Z")

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@cormullion you are the best. I ship this 100%.

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**Author:** ![smldis](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/smldis/32/1735_2.png) [@smldis](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/smldis)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/9 "2017-10-08T16:02:02Z")

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I remember I heard someone (…) calling the julia community a wolfpack.  
😂

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**Author:** ![tpoisot](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tpoisot/32/19812_2.png) [@tpoisot](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/tpoisot)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/10 "2017-10-08T16:53:58Z")

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Can I suggest a real animal?

The mollusc _Julia exquisita_ is a very pretty gasteropod (think under water snail). Which would be nice since Julia is so fast.

Their shells are really nice: [http://www.gastropods.com/Shell\_Images/ThumbNails/G-L/TN\_Julia\_exquisita\_6.jpg](http://www.gastropods.com/Shell_Images/ThumbNails/G-L/TN_Julia_exquisita_6.jpg)

It’s also very distinctive with regard to what’s already in the O’Reily bestiary.

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**Author:** ![Crghilardi](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/crghilardi/32/3738_2.png) [@Crghilardi](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Crghilardi)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/11 "2017-10-08T18:23:40Z")

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[Mantis Shrimp?](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp). I feel like the three color palette from the dots logo can be worked in there somehow…

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**Author:** ![mkborregaard](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkborregaard/32/556_2.png) [@mkborregaard](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkborregaard)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/12 "2017-10-08T18:42:18Z")

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I’ll definitely tip my hat to @cormullion for faking a wikipedia page with a medieval drawing of his proposed mascot. This is the kind of creativity and determination the julia community needs. I also think the mascot is cute.

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**Author:** ![John\_Hearns](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/john_hearns/32/1685_2.png) [@John\_Hearns](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/John_Hearns)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/13 "2017-10-08T19:13:29Z")

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The Julyax is cute. And she has claws. The reasons for an animal mascot are to draw people to stands at meetings; to make stickers as @cormullion has done superbly; to provide material for T-shirts and cuddly toys.

I agree that the three dots Julia logo is superb - it is clean and modern, and has been adapted for use by the Julia specialist groups. I still think there is room for cuddly animal. With claws.

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**Author:** ![John\_Hearns](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/john_hearns/32/1685_2.png) [@John\_Hearns](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/John_Hearns)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/14 "2017-10-08T19:15:59Z")

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@favba A Pegasus is a good idea. I was in Arnhem in the Netherlands at the beginning of September, and I should say that most of the world’s airborne forces probably have Pegasus as a mascot already. While I don’t think there will be any barfights between paratroopers and Julia fans…

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**Author:** ![tpoisot](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tpoisot/32/19812_2.png) [@tpoisot](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/tpoisot)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/15 "2017-10-08T19:56:08Z")

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Good point. We can absolutely have a logo, and a patronus for the Julia community. I think both should coexist depending on the context and the audience.

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**Author:** ![cormullion](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cormullion/32/49131_2.png) [@cormullion](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/cormullion)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 10:43am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/16 "2017-10-09T10:43:18Z")

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Thanks for the kind comments and suggestions everyone! It was fun… 🙂

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**Author:** ![ElOceanografo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/eloceanografo/32/624_2.png) [@ElOceanografo](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ElOceanografo)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/17 "2017-10-09T17:40:00Z")

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Or how about [_Orthetrum julia_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthetrum_julia), the Julia Skimmer, a central African dragonfly? It’s colorful, fast, agile, and its [face](http://www.dragonflies.co.za/index.php/photos/115-dragonflies-anisoptera/skimmers-libellulidae/431-orthetrum-julia-falsum-julia-skimmer-close-up-teneral-male) is evocative of the three dots logo…

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**Author:** ![tpoisot](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tpoisot/32/19812_2.png) [@tpoisot](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/tpoisot)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/18 "2017-10-09T17:47:01Z")

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Yes! That’s a really solid suggestion.

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**Author:** ![StefanKarpinski](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stefankarpinski/32/24_2.png) [@StefanKarpinski](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/StefanKarpinski)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 7:54pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/19 "2017-10-09T19:54:03Z")

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Obviously, we wouldn’t settle for just a pegasus or a unicorn – Julia would be a pegacorn, the best of both worlds:

 ![flight_of_the_pegacorn_by_cobaltplasma-d8l5ebn](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/7/7/77ac1f1d864b9029a2e05579ececaa69a273ca4f.jpeg)

[[Copyright (c) cobaltplasma](https://cobaltplasma.deviantart.com/art/Flight-of-the-Pegacorn-519253187)]

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**Author:** ![ExpandingMan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/expandingman/32/866_2.png) [@ExpandingMan](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ExpandingMan)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/20 "2017-10-09T20:06:27Z")

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I feel that a unicorns and pegasuses (plural?) are a bit too generic. I’d advocate something weird like an HP Lovecraft creature or something. It would be great to have something as weird and unique as the octocat.

I also thought the dragonfly and cat-dragon-thing were pretty good suggestions.

[Next page](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322.md?page=2)