# 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:** 7

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**Author:** ![digital\_carver](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/digital_carver/32/33818_2.png) [@digital\_carver](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/digital_carver)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 6:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/124 "2026-04-17T06:25:23Z")

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> [@danvinci](#):
>
> So any candidate should pass a few basic tests:

Another of these is “Does it look unique enough that people will naturally remember it?”  
I’m not attached to the mantis shrimp any of the other proposals specifically, but when I imagine myself seeing the hummingbird mascot at a conference or on merch, what it honestly registers as is “generic bird image that I will forget about within 5 seconds of looking away from it”.

It’s not about the specific image or representation of it either, in today’s oversaturated branding market, our brains just get used to glazing over mascots by default, and the bar for standing out and getting past that is pretty high. The original post here mentions “O’Reilly books popularized used any old random animal they had a print of lying around” - but the thing is, it worked very effectively. When people looked at an O’Reilly cover, it was hard to ignore as an animal you’d seen a million times already (it usually wasn’t), it invited attention, and in turn, a strong association between the animal and the language or technology.

A hummingbird would be a bad fit for Julia conceptually as well: the two things they’re best known for are being tiny and lightweight, and being able to quickly accelerate in a direction without needing warmup time.

- Julia is not known for being an especially tiny language or runtime (unlike Lua for eg.), nor particularly lightweight (among other things, a `.julia` folder balloons up rapidly even with casual usage - with reasons, but that and other things do make “lightweight” hard to defend).
- And one of the typical problems when Julia is promoted as a “fast” language is that a lot of people come in expecting an insantly fast and nimble-feeling language, which is why things like TTFX hit especially hard psychologically and are disappointing as a newcomer. Reinforcing this interpretation of “fast” (however subtly) with a hummingbird imagery would be misleading, and add to this problem of mistaken expectations.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![danvinci](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/danvinci/32/21445_2.png) [@danvinci](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/danvinci)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 6:55am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/125 "2026-04-17T06:55:08Z")

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Good point on memorability/novelty - the hummingbird silhouette on its own is generic, fair enough.

Also totally forgot about Swift.

Applying the criteria from earlier + your addition, I think the strongest candidates so far are then the dragonfly or the axolotl.

Distinctive silhouettes, work well geometric/faceted, and don’t seem to be claimed by anything in tech.

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**Author:** ![gwr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gwr/32/33632_2.png) [@gwr](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gwr)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 7:04am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/126 "2026-04-17T07:04:48Z")

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> [@danvinci](#):
>
> Applying the criteria from earlier + your addition, I think the strongest candidates so far are then the dragonfly or the axolotl.

Are you now making the selection for the community? 😉

Maybe the process could be a bit more “democratic” and we simply select a set of contenders to then vote for without introducing bias?

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**Author:** ![digital\_carver](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/digital_carver/32/33818_2.png) [@digital\_carver](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/digital_carver)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 7:15am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/127 "2026-04-17T07:15:57Z")

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> [@danvinci](#):
>
> Applying the criteria from earlier + your addition, I think the strongest candidates so far are then the dragonfly or the axolotl.

I do like the axolotl idea a lot. I don’t know much about their behaviour or characteristics, so can’t speak for a conceptual fit, but they’re unique-looking, adorable in a lot of people’s eyes, and surprisingly underused in popular imagery. (And at least to me they look like a neuron with its dendrites and an axon body, so a slight nod to the neuroscience side of Julia.)

> [@gwr](#):
>
> Are you now making the selection for the community? 😉

It doesn’t look to me like they’re doing any such thing, just expressing an opinion like all of us are.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gwr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gwr/32/33632_2.png) [@gwr](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gwr)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 7:33am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/128 "2026-04-17T07:33:43Z")

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> [@digital\_carver](#):
>
> It doesn’t look to me like they’re doing any such thing, just expressing an opinion like all of us are.

Fair enough. I would just like to propose that there is a process now that leads to a result - since this is going on for 5 years now. I would propose this:

1. We all will probably agree on an **animal mascot being something inofficial** , e.g., it is a “can have” - not a “must have”.
2. It looks as if by now **all sensible options have been named** (I picked up “Mantissa” from an existing suggestion here).
3. Now a good process is needed to enable **community decision** - if it is to be a community decision? Maybe have a GitHub repo with minimum required content for a mascot, e.g., image file, naming, one paragraph intro, longer description supporting the choice. Then the candidates can be branches and finally there is a merging PR…

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**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TimG)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 10:16am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/129 "2026-04-17T10:16:48Z")

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> [@gwr](#):
>
> since this is going on for 5 years now

That seems a bit of a stretch. Interest clearly waxes and wanes. Posts to this topic stopped 5 years ago and there was a previous 2 year gap before that. It was only revived again 3 days ago with a “necro-post”. So not exactly 5 years of continuous discussion. 😉

If we are to have a community decision, perhaps the first question to answer is whether we really actually want/need an animal as a formally adopted mascot for Julia.

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**Author:** ![joa-quim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/joa-quim/32/227_2.png) [@joa-quim](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/joa-quim)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 10:57am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/130 "2026-04-17T10:57:31Z")

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> [@gwr](#):
>
> Maybe the process could be a bit more “democratic” and we simply select a set of contenders to then vote for without introducing bias?

Sorry, but who said Julia will adopt a mascot? I personally find those kid toys a bit ridiculous.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gwr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gwr/32/33632_2.png) [@gwr](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gwr)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/131 "2026-04-17T10:58:03Z")

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> [@TimG](#):
>
> If we are to have a community decision, perhaps the first question to answer is whether we really actually want/need an animal as a formally adopted mascot for Julia.

To clarify: I meant “_unofficial_” as something “_informal_”, e.g., Rust does not have an official mascot afaik, but then there is [Ferris](https://rustacean.net).

The process could well work in the other direction: Once a mascot is chosen, it will be “inofficial” unless the community wants it to be “official”?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gwr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gwr/32/33632_2.png) [@gwr](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gwr)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 11:05am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/132 "2026-04-17T11:05:02Z")

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> [@joa-quim](#):
>
> Sorry, but who said Julia will adopt a mascot? I personally find those kid toys a bit ridiculous.

Absolutely d’accord:

> [@gwr](#):
>
> Sure. I, for one, am perfectly happy that Julia just has some balls.

But on the other hand, before O’Reilly puts that dodo on a cover (as Dan wrote above), maybe be clear about something unofficial? Personally, before I see another cat or something cuddly like Ferris, I would prefer something where you may need to look twice, and then it suddenly dawns on you, how cool it really is (just like \_\_\_\_ ) 😉

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**Author:** ![heliosdrm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/heliosdrm/32/3851_2.png) [@heliosdrm](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/heliosdrm)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/133 "2026-04-17T14:53:44Z")

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> [@gwr](#):
>
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/7/7/77c36147fea5af967d6ae2e3eee2a2b555b1c047.jpeg)
> 
> Meet **Mantissa** – a contender with striking properties! 😉

I hope [Okuda](https://okudasanmiguel.com/) doesn’t claim this is a design of his! 😃

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**Author:** ![lilachint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee7513/32.png) [@lilachint](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/lilachint)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 5:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/134 "2026-04-19T05:25:30Z")

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Tbh, better not have a mascot for Julia to avoid something like the Lisp community [arguing over their unofficial mascot](https://www.reddit.com/r/lisp/comments/gny39q/comment/frcwfcm/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), and I’d say the three colourful balls are good enough for Julia!

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**Author:** ![oscarvdvelde](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oscarvdvelde/32/202157_2.png) [@oscarvdvelde](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oscarvdvelde)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/135 "2026-04-19T13:05:11Z")

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![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/4/6/46ac12c658120abb5ec3ab439f7020a786da2fb1.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GeorgeGkountouras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/77aa72/32.png) [@GeorgeGkountouras](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GeorgeGkountouras)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/136 "2026-04-19T13:26:07Z")

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I vote for the dragonfly suggestion.

And adding **Shrike** to the pool. 😇

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eckofoid](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/eckofoid/32/221638_2.png) [@eckofoid](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/eckofoid)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/137 "2026-04-22T02:12:12Z")

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My ranked votes are

1. Juliax
2. Dragonfly
3. Hummingbird.

Crustaceans, mollusks, tardigrades, etc., are either ugly or easily mocked, or both. We should choose something whimsical, attractive, and easily caricatured (in the sense of a logo or plush toy).

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**Author:** ![gwr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gwr/32/33632_2.png) [@gwr](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gwr)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 11:06am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/138 "2026-04-22T11:06:10Z")

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> [@eckofoid](#):
>
> My ranked votes are

Since this thread has resurfaced repeatedly over the years, **I opened a separate poll** to get a clearer signal on whether people want an unofficial community mascot at all, and if so which candidates they prefer:

> [@Should Julia have an unofficial community mascot? If so, which one?](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/should-julia-have-an-unofficial-community-mascot-if-so-which-one/136826):
>
> This is a poll about whether Julia should have an unofficial community mascot. Since this topic has resurfaced repeatedly over the years without converging, I thought it might be useful to at least get a clearer signal on whether people want an unofficial mascot at all, and if so which candidates are actually preferred. To be clear: this is not about changing Julia’s logo, official branding, or visual identity. The idea is just to see whether people would like some informal mascot figure for …

I kept it separate so the vote would not get buried in the long historical discussion here. 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Roger\_Powell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/roger_powell/32/21586_2.png) [@Roger\_Powell](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Roger_Powell)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/139 "2026-04-23T19:15:39Z")

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It’s a very pretty bug, but it’s still a bug. 😁

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Roger\_Powell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/roger_powell/32/21586_2.png) [@Roger\_Powell](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Roger_Powell)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/140 "2026-04-23T19:36:55Z")

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That sure is a heck of a lot of bugs. 😁

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rafael.guerra](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/rafael.guerra/32/216610_2.png) [@rafael.guerra](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rafael.guerra)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/141 "2026-04-27T18:56:01Z")

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FWIW, here is a simplified version of the previous suggestion regarding dolphins.

 ![juliadolphinsmile](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/a/c/ac965a12fb781c4e9aa4882e5001aa358b5d5801.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jbytecode](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jbytecode/32/17719_2.png) [@jbytecode](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jbytecode)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/142 "2026-04-27T19:09:31Z")

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Personally, I am against looking for an animal-themed logo for Julia; the three colored circles have already become a logo that sticks in people’s minds for Julia.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rafael.guerra](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/rafael.guerra/32/216610_2.png) [@rafael.guerra](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rafael.guerra)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/an-animal-for-julia/6322/143 "2026-04-27T19:29:05Z")

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One more mammal:

 ![Juliaelephant2](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/e/e/eed8b45a7ffb3634e46a12b925448a8203caea2e.jpeg)

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