Everyone needs a mascot
About Signal the Frog
Signal is the official mascot for Groundspeak. Simply put, he represents the combination of the outdoors and location-based technology. Signal's ultimate goal is to put the word "active" back into "interactive" by releasing you from the shackles of your indoor "entertainment system." We call him "El Capitan" or "The Liberator" in the office.
Why make a mascot for Groundspeak?
When developing the Geocaching.com web site, we realized that representing GPS technology as a device would ultimately mirror an existing design of one GPS unit manufacturer (Garmin, Magellan, Trimble, etc.). And considering the constant changes in the designs of GPS receivers - and their inevitable integration into existing devices like cell phones - we wanted a creative solution to represent the technology without locking ourselves into a design that would soon be obsolete.
We decided a fun way to represent GPS technology would be to give it a personality, so we decided on Signal the Frog. He's not very bright but he knows where he is and can point you in the direction you want to go. He's your GPS guide.
Why did you pick a frog?
Frogs are everywhere - Just about every culture knows about frogs, and they can live in many different climates, like the desert and the jungle. Some can even glide, like the Javan flying frog. GPS technology currently is being adapted for use in many areas, from turn-by-turn directions to managing crops.
And GPS technology itself can be used just about anywhere on the planet.
Frogs are symbols in many cultures - There is a rich symbolism of the frog in many cultures, including ancient Egypt. Usually frogs represent fertility, regeneration and reincarnation. We decided on a frog because we wanted to find a way to represent the transition from the usual idea of technology as an indoor activity to using technology in the outdoors. As a frog goes from tadpole to adult, GPS will eventually mature into a technology that everyone will use in their daily lives.
Technology + Nature - We wanted to merge the two different ideas of technology and nature into one symbol, which is why Signal has an antenna on his head. Yeah, he's a bit of a cyborg but he doesn't mind. The combination of technology and nature is an ongoing theme at Groundspeak.
Frogs are cool - I mean, seriously, they drink and breathe through their skin, and have these cool tongues. They can jump over 20 times their own length. How cool is that?
Signal is the official mascot for Groundspeak. Simply put, he represents the combination of the outdoors and location-based technology. Signal's ultimate goal is to put the word "active" back into "interactive" by releasing you from the shackles of your indoor "entertainment system." We call him "El Capitan" or "The Liberator" in the office.Why make a mascot for Groundspeak?
When developing the Geocaching.com web site, we realized that representing GPS technology as a device would ultimately mirror an existing design of one GPS unit manufacturer (Garmin, Magellan, Trimble, etc.). And considering the constant changes in the designs of GPS receivers - and their inevitable integration into existing devices like cell phones - we wanted a creative solution to represent the technology without locking ourselves into a design that would soon be obsolete.
We decided a fun way to represent GPS technology would be to give it a personality, so we decided on Signal the Frog. He's not very bright but he knows where he is and can point you in the direction you want to go. He's your GPS guide.
Why did you pick a frog?
Frogs are everywhere - Just about every culture knows about frogs, and they can live in many different climates, like the desert and the jungle. Some can even glide, like the Javan flying frog. GPS technology currently is being adapted for use in many areas, from turn-by-turn directions to managing crops.
And GPS technology itself can be used just about anywhere on the planet.Frogs are symbols in many cultures - There is a rich symbolism of the frog in many cultures, including ancient Egypt. Usually frogs represent fertility, regeneration and reincarnation. We decided on a frog because we wanted to find a way to represent the transition from the usual idea of technology as an indoor activity to using technology in the outdoors. As a frog goes from tadpole to adult, GPS will eventually mature into a technology that everyone will use in their daily lives.
Technology + Nature - We wanted to merge the two different ideas of technology and nature into one symbol, which is why Signal has an antenna on his head. Yeah, he's a bit of a cyborg but he doesn't mind. The combination of technology and nature is an ongoing theme at Groundspeak.
Frogs are cool - I mean, seriously, they drink and breathe through their skin, and have these cool tongues. They can jump over 20 times their own length. How cool is that?
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