Olympics Closing Ceremony Google Doodle
Google
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Google Doodlesare awesome because unlike school, they make learning random facts cool. More importantly, they allow you to waste endless amounts of time.

So, naturally Google had to get in on the Olympics fever by doodling away. In honor of the Olympics coming to a close, here are the Top 5 Google Doodles of London 2012.

1) The Slalom Canoe

Google
Google
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This one was the most fun of all the interactive Doodles for three reasons: 1) things lit up 2) it highlighted slalom canoeing and 3) it was glorious running the canoe into banks and on rocks and over fish and seeing the little rower struggle. (Play the Doodle here)

2) Basketball

Basketball Google Doodle
Google
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Yep, this Doodle lets you shoot basketballs. Each time you got one in, you felt like a winner. Each time you missed, you felt like a loser times ten, because this wasn't even real life where you had the excuse of being uncoordinated or short. (Note: if you did spectacularly badly, the player slumped and a small dark cloud drifted atop its head, to emphasize your failure). (Play the Doodle here)

3) The Hurdles

 

 

The Hurdles Google Doodle
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This was the first interactive Doodle of the Olympics. You could run! You could jump! You could feel like an Olympian! And if you decided to just walk the runner through all the hurdles to knock them down, you felt a vindictive pleasure in seeing him slump in defeat when he finished with a time of 147 seconds. (Play the Doodle here)

4) The Javelin

 

 

The Javelin Google Doodle
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Yeah, yeah, yeah javelin...a man throwing a pointy stick. The best part of this Doodle wasn’t the athlete, but the tribute to the Mars Rover in the upper left hand corner. Go NASA! Go space! Go (maybe) discovering Martians really do exist! (Read more about the Mars Rover here)

5) Soccer

 

 

Soccer Google Doodle
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This Doodle kept going and going and going and going, much like actual soccer. As long as you saved balls and threw them back onto the field, the shooter would keep on shooting. It only ended when you failed and let in three goals. An exercise in futility, yes, but hey, soccer is cool, right? Right. (Play the Doodle here)

Miss any of the Doodles? Want to play them again? Go to Google.com and click on the “I’m feeling lucky” link, and the first result will take you to the Doodle museum, where you can view, replay and snicker over all Google Doodles past. Or just click here. Which Doodle is your favorite?

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