Google doodles have been an integral part of the company's tradition for a long time.

Its search engine uses the doodles to spice up the home page on holidays, on the birthdays of famous people, and just for fun. They vary widely in complexity and design, from simple decorations to interactive experiences.

Ever since Google celebrated the Burning Man festival with a simple doodle on Aug. 30, 1998, the company has had tons of fun with its doodles, honoring everybody and everything from the musician Les Paul, whose doodle featured a playable guitar graphic, to the return to Earth of asteroid explorer Hayabusa in June 2010, which was only displayed in Japan.

This slideshow offers a trip through the history of Google's doodles, from basic to extremely complex. In its exploration of the myriad topics, people, and events that move us, the company has created an online museum not only of its doodles but also of its own log of human culture.

Burning Man
Google's first doodle came on Aug. 30, 2008 in honor of that year's Burning Man festival. Google
Christmas 1999
Google's first Christmas doodle came on Dec. 25, 2009, with this simple but festive design. Google
2000 Olympics
Google's first in what has grown into a tradition of Olympics-related doodle series came in 2000 to ring in the Australian summer games. Google
Andy Warhols 74th
Google began to experiment with more daring designs in 2002, including this one to ring in Andy Warhol's birthday on Aug. 6. It was the first Google Doodle to feature more than just a central Google logo with adornments and added decor. Google
Global Doodles
Google Doodles began to go more international in 2003, with image such as this one, posted on Google's South Korean homepage to honor the nation's National Liberation Day on Aug. 15, becoming more and more common. Google
Doodle 4 Google
In 2005, Google hosted the "Doodle 4 Google" contest, in which Google users submit their own drawings for consideration as daily doodles. The U.K.'s Google homepage featured this drawing by Lisa Wainaina on Nov. 17 of that year. The contest has been held numerous times over the years since. Google
Japan Google Japan