Wikipedia Turns 25 And Introduces ‘Baby Globe’ Inspired By Community Creativity
Original by BaduFerreira, Wikimedia Foundation adaptation, CC-BY-SA 4.0, courtesy and featured with permission
Wikipedia is turning 25, and instead of candles and cake crumbs, it’s birthed an icon. Meet ‘Baby Globe’, a new birthday mascot set to pop up across the platform in both physical and digital form throughout this globe-trotter of an anniversary year.
Baby Globe’s first appearance comes on January 15, which is Wikipedia’s official birthday. You’ll find the character as a cameo on Wikipedia’s landing page. Visitors will see a teaser hinting at what’s coming next, nudging readers to keep an eye out for the mascot’s digital arrival the following month.
From February 16 onward, Baby Globe goes fully online. Readers who switch on Birthday mode across selected language versions of Wikipedia will start encountering playful visual moments featuring the mascot.
Original by BaduFerreira, Wikimedia Foundation adaptation, CC-BY-SA 4.0, courtesy and featured with permission
Original by BaduFerreira, Wikimedia Foundation adaptation, CC-BY-SA 4.0, courtesy and featured with permission
The character’s origin story is a fittingly low-key one. Baby Globe began as a personal sketch by Wikipedia volunteer Jonathan Ferreira, drawn during his daily BART commute in the Bay Area. Armed with only a phone, a stylus, and a drawing app, Ferreira used the time to experiment visually. What started as a way to pass a train ride eventually found its way into a community meetup, where he volunteered to create something small for Wikipedia Day 2025 memorabilia.
Original by BaduFerreira, Wikimedia Foundation adaptation, CC-BY-SA 4.0, courtesy and featured with permission
As the idea developed, Ferreira drew inspiration from the rubber-hose animation style popular in the 1920s. He initially tried to anchor the design in Bay Area imagery, but nothing felt broad enough to capture the region without leaning too heavily toward a single city. Shifting focus, he began experimenting directly with Wikipedia’s globe logo, adding limbs and personality until the mascot emerged almost on its own terms.
Interestingly, Baby Globe wasn’t named at birth. Ferreira casually referred to it as “the little mascot” while sharing drafts, only adopting the name after others began using it. Over time, the character took on meaning beyond its original purpose.
As Chris Koerner of the Wikimedia Foundation noted, the mascot is expected to travel far beyond its original sketchbook roots, appearing in birthday events, a plush toy made in collaboration with Makeship, creative adaptations around the world.
Original by BaduFerreira, Wikimedia Foundation adaptation, CC-BY-SA 4.0, courtesy and featured with permission
Original by BaduFerreira, Wikimedia Foundation adaptation, CC-BY-SA 4.0, courtesy and featured with permission
[via Wikimedia Foundation, images courtesy and featured with permission]
