Today’s Thanksgiving Day Google logo is based on the “three sisters” of North American agriculture: corn, beans and squash, and was created by guest Doodler Julia Cone using a papercraft technique.

“In the end, I hope that viewers will enjoy the craft of cut paper as an art from in a digital space,” says Cone on the Google Doodle Blog.

The colorful logo marking today’s holiday leads to a search for “Thanksgiving” and includes “Happy Thanksgiving 2015” sharing icons for Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or email.

Google offered a quick agricultural history lesson on its Doodle blog, explaining the origination of corn, beans and squash crops.

This planting technique, combining the three crops, originated in Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) villages, and was commonly used at the time of the European settlements in the early 1600s. This indigenous practice revolutionized horticulture and helped stave off starvation in many areas, including the Old World.

Here are a selection of Cone’s original sketches that led to the final Doodle used on Google’s U.S. homepage:



Search Engine Land wishes all of its readers a happy Thanksgiving!

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