Google Doodles, whether animated or not, are known for their creativity, charm and ingenuity. On a daily basis, they celebrate a variety of holidays and milestones, from the mainstream — think Halloween or Christmas — to lesser known landmark events — think the birthday of Thomas Alva Edison or the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man.
This year's animated Valentine's Day Doodle features a fairly adorable heteronormative love story, set to Tony Bennett's "Cold, Cold Heart," as an increasingly exasperated and smitten boy tries to win over the female object of his affection.
What's most interesting, however, is a series of tiles at the end of the animation featuring an array of diverse couples — an astronaut and space alien, a princess and frog, and two men in tuxedos holding hands. Google has long been a friend to the LGBT community, and by including a gay couple clearly promotes all types of love. I'm sure there are those out there, however, who might argue that putting a gay couple alonside such unusual couples could be a detriment to the community. What do you think? Check out the video below.
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2012.