Google doodles a huge holiday extravaganza: 5 artists, 250 hours, 17 images

In a year of over-the-top Google Doodles, the search engine saved the most elaborate for last. A 17-frame image details winter celebrated around the world, from Indian dancing to Santa sneaking down a chimney. It's a bright, bold send-off to a year of bold logos.

There've been the bouncing balls, PacMan honored, John Lennon singing and Ina Garten offering up cooking tips. What started as a simple two-dimensional tweak to Google's logo as a private joke with its users has become a cultural marker, raising awareness of certain dates in the collective space online and causing the subsequent controversy when certain holidays get passed over for recognition.

This particular doodle took six months of planning, five artists and 250 hours of work, the Wall Street Journal reports. It was also rushed into being two days early, when the team decided that fewer people would likely be at their computers on Christmas Day.