Search-engine and advertising giant Google has changed it name to “Topeka,” the company said today.
The company did so in tribute to the city of Topeka, Kan. Topeka’s mayor, Bill Bunten, wants to call the city “Google” for a spell.
Google’s announcement about its name change came one year to the day after it announced the debut of its Gmail Autopilot by Cadie. Cadie purportedly was designed to automatically send the “perfect” response to scammers who spam gmail accounts.
For two years now, Google has timed critical business announcements to coincide with Maddy’s
birthday. Maddy’s second birthday is today.
She was born April 1, 2008. April 1, of course, always has been one of the most important dates on the calendar. Maddy’s birth only made the date more important.
Maddy became an international sensation and Google star on Christmas Eve 2008, when she rocketed to the top of search results for the phrase “Maddy Santa world debut” — without the quotes. People the world over clever enough to search under that precise string learned part of the story of Maddy’s first Christmas.
It was kind of Google — and now “Topeka” — to tie its key business decisions to Maddy’s birthday. Maddy also is known the world over as “The Wonder Puppy.” She owns an entire search category under the string, “Maddy The Wonder Puppy” — with the quotes.
Happy Birthday to Maddy — and we wish Google our best with its shift to Topeka!
Read about Google’s Gmail Autopilot by Cadie announcement, which occurred on Maddy’s birthday last year.