July 31, 2022
Celebrating Pétanque
Interactive version: https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-petanque
Today’s interactive Doodle game celebrates Pétanque, a beloved French outdoor game played around the world. Just click the Doodle to play a random match or challenge your friends!
Long before Pétanque became France’s go-to afternoon activity, Ancient Greeks played games tossing flat stones and eventually stone balls. After modifying the game by adding a target ball, Ancient Roman soldiers and sailors brought the game to France.
The modern game of Pétanque originated in 1907 in Provence, France when a local cafe owner adjusted the rules to accommodate a player whose rheumatism prevented him from running. With a reduced length of the field and a stationary toss, Pétanque spread quickly across the country.
The rules of the game are fairly simple: throw, toss, or roll your team’s metal boules closer to the target boule than the other team. Over a series of rounds, the first player or team to score thirteen points wins! The goal might sound simple, but players can use a number of tactics to gain an advantage over their opponent. “Shooting” is a popular strategy, often used at competitive levels, where players attempt to knock away an opponent's boule from the target.
Nowadays, Pétanque is more than just a leisure activity with friends—the game is played competitively at regional, national and international levels throughout the world. The best players attend showcase events like the Mondial La Marseillaise in France and the La British Open in England.
Click today’s Doodle and get the boules rolling!
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Early Drafts
Alt text: A personified purple olive [left side of frame] stands with hands on hips smiling at their opponent—a personified green olive [right side of frame] standing with its eyes playfully closed, smile on face, one hand on hip and the other holding a boule. The words “Pétanque Doodle” are in the background across a blue sky with two olive branches peeking down from the top corners.
Alt text: A large gathering of personified purple and green olives are playing Pétanque on a beach with the sea visible in the background. Larger-than-life colorful fruits and vegetables surround the players as they throw white boules towards the red target boule.
Alt text: 16 illustrations of individual personified black and white, purple and green olives. Each olive wears a different expression and some hold Pétanque boules. The words “Les Olives” caption the drawings.
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�� Pétanque Doodle Team ��
Art | Helene Leroux
UX Design | Anthony Irwin
Producer | Brenna Fallon, Colin Duffy [emeritus]
Engineering Lead | Jacob Howcroft
Engineering | Daniel Dovali, Katherine Lee, Brian Murray
Engineering Support | Daniel Hirsch, Gu J
Marketing | Alice Roy de Puyfontaine, Chloe Broughton, Perla Campos
Doodle Team Leads | Jessica Yu, Nate Swinehart, Tom Tabanao
Original Music | Mathieu Alvado
Sound Design | Samy Cheboub
Music and sound produced by | Gigawatts Productions
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