Google Introduces Carousel-Themed Android 16 Statue, Inspired by Material 3 Expressive

JAKARTA - Google officially introduced the Android 16 statue with a carousel-themed design inspired by Material 3 Expressive. The statue's arrival marks the return of Google's fun tradition of creating Android statues, which had previously been discontinued after the release of Android 9.

Unlike competitors like Apple and Microsoft, Google has long been known as a company that promotes a "fun" image. In the early days of Android, the Google office grounds were filled with statues representing each version of the platform. Now, that tradition is being revived with the new Android 16 statue.

In a post on X, Google's President of the Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, shared several photos of himself with the Android 16 statue. "We create a new statue for each Android release as a token of appreciation for the team. This year, we crowdsourced the design from the team with the help of Gemini to illustrate their ideas. This statue is fun, interactive (carousel-shaped!), and carries the Material 3 Expressive theme," said Samat, as quoted by VOI from Android Headlines.

From the photos shared, it's clear that the new statue indeed incorporates the Material 3 Expressive design concept. For those unfamiliar, Material 3 Expressive is an evolution of Material You, introduced with Android 12, characterized by more rounded corners and a more organic visual experience. This is evident in this statue, which features smooth curves and a carousel-shaped stand.

History of the Android Statue

This move brought back Google's playful side that had been lost. The concept of the Android statue was first introduced in 2009, with each Android version named after a dessert. However, this tradition began to fade after Android 9.0 Pie.

While Google still uses dessert names internally as Android version codenames, they are no longer used officially. The statues were also discontinued with Android 10 in 2019, and in 2022, the statues were removed from public areas for repairs and relocated to the Mountain View campus.

Last year, Google released the Android 15 statue, which featured the Android mascot sitting on a park bench. Now, with the Android 16 statue, Google is once again showing its creative side. What do you think of the latest statue design?