How to download Google Doodle for offline usage?

15

7

I used to play Google Doodle daily. Can anyone say where can I download Google Doodle? I'd like to play Google Doodle on my home PC offline.

BlueBerry - Vignesh4303

Posted 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Reputation: 7 221

Answers

17

All the Doodles can be found through the Google Doodles page.

For saving any given doodle, I demonstrate my approach using the same Soccer 2012 doodle as @Synetech. To simplify the manipulation I use both Firefox and IE.

  1. Open the archive page in Firefox
  2. Right-click on the doodle and choose the menu option of This Frame => Show Only This Frame :
    enter image description here
  3. Open IE to the same address as displayed (the Firefox "IE View" extension is useful)
  4. Execute the menu option of File => Save as ... and save in Web Archive (*.mht) format
  5. You will find the entire game saved as a file named London 2012 Soccer.mht that can be played offline in IE by double-clicking it.

I have used IE for saving the page, since the Firefox menu function of Save Page As did not produce a playable game.

(Tested using Firefox 14 and IE9.)

harrymc

Posted 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Reputation: 306 093

Hey guys, this was helpful but i badly want to download a doodle on which it doesn't work. Following is the URL where if i do a R-Click, it starts the game. Is there any other way to download this doodle. https://www.google.com/doodles/icc-champions-trophy-2017-begins

– Ankit Vashistha – 2017-06-03T16:20:07.487

Ah, you did the same thing. I’m surprised that IE9 even supports MHTs anymore. – Synetech – 2012-08-11T23:11:18.400

any addons for mozilla earlier versions? – BlueBerry - Vignesh4303 – 2012-08-12T04:16:07.483

for earlier versions of i.e http://www.vistaheads.com/forums/microsoft-public-internetexplorer-general/326662-cannot-open-mht-mhtml-files-ie-6-ie7-ie8-solved.html

– BlueBerry - Vignesh4303 – 2012-08-12T05:27:40.323

@vignesh: If you mean the "IE View" extension, it has been working for me since very early versions of Firefox. – harrymc – 2012-08-12T06:04:08.970

+1 - I did try this but didn't save the entire thing (the mht file) - I only saved the HTML (not external files etc)... and I've been a developer for 10+ years I really should have known. The shame! :) – Dave – 2012-08-12T11:07:23.523

1@DaveRook, you can just use complete page and have direct access to the files so that you can edit the graphics, script and such. – Synetech – 2012-08-12T14:25:56.527

6

You can't save it because it's a server script.

As for the actual picture, you can save them from Google Doodle page by right clicking on them and select save image (or similar - depending on the browser).

Dave

Posted 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Reputation: 24 199

What exactly is supposed to be server-side? o.O Technically, all web-content is “server-side” until it is downloaded to the browser. Google’s Active Doodles are HTML5, meaning that they run in the client. – Synetech – 2012-08-11T17:46:49.867

@Synetech: Google Doodles existed long before HTML5. Most of them are just javascript. – harrymc – 2012-08-11T19:40:49.397

2Dave: Your answer is only correct for the most simple doodles. However most of them simply will not work without the javascript used to manipulate the image. The image by itself is usually useless. – harrymc – 2012-08-11T19:46:05.427

... and a doodle is absolutely NOT a server-side script. – harrymc – 2012-08-12T06:19:42.757

> Google Doodles existed long before HTML5.   @harrymc, not their active doodles. – Synetech – 2012-08-12T14:16:58.720

@Synetech: Javascript doodles did exist, and they can be very active. – harrymc – 2012-08-12T14:21:23.173

@harrymc ‽‽‽ Yes, they did and do exist, but the active ones are not that old; they do not pre-date HTML5 like you said. The first active doodle was Jim Henson’s 75th Birthday on Sep.24.2011 while HTML5 was started in 2004.

– Synetech – 2012-08-12T14:25:07.213

The first active one was the 30th Anniversary of PAC-MAN from May 21, 2010, and I don't think it's HTML5.

– harrymc – 2012-08-12T18:17:11.727

May.21.2010 is still post-HTML5 regardless of whether or not the doodle uses it (which technically it does since it uses HTML+CSS+JS instead of Flash, Silverlight, Shockwave, etc.; you don’t have to use canvas to be using HTML5). – Synetech – 2012-08-13T06:42:33.903

5

You can’t download them easily like a downloadable game.

Fortunately, because webpages are pretty much open and exposed, you can download it, but you have to do some manual footwork.

Let’s take the Soccer 2012 doodle as an example:

  1. You’ll see that it is available in the archives at this page
  2. Check it’s source-code and you’ll see that it is in fact an IFrame loaded from a different page
  3. Check the source for that page and you will see the files required to run the doodle such as the background and generic sprites. There are also the scripts and doodle-specific sprites

To simplify the process a little, you can:

  1. Clear your browser’s cache
  2. Open your browser’s cache directory
  3. Load the most specific page (i.e., the one loaded into the IFrame, not the doodle-archive page)
  4. Copy the files from the browser cache
  5. Rename them if necessary

You can also try using a tool like wget, but you will still have to do some work to make sure you get everything and clean up the cruft.

An even easier way may be to simply save the page (save complete page mode). Depending on your browser, it may/should save the HTML file, the auxiliary files (script, graphics, stylesheets, etc.), and adjust the filenames as needed.

Synetech

Posted 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Reputation: 63 242

Renaming the files and editing the html to use these downloaded files is a heck of as job. – harrymc – 2012-08-11T20:46:52.323

It can be, but Google Active Doodles tend not to be too messy (maybe only half-a-dozen files in total for the core game). I added another option that may be easier, depending on the browser in use. – Synetech – 2012-08-11T23:10:35.657

In my test the Firefox Save Page As didn't correctly save the adjusted html. That's why I think it is too complex to do manually. – harrymc – 2012-08-12T06:17:38.437

In Chrome (and back when I used IE, IE), it would make a directory with the pages name, but with _files appended and simply change the refs to that directory. – Synetech – 2012-08-12T14:15:57.943

1It still does - but the game doesn't work. – harrymc – 2012-08-12T14:19:59.103

3

After visiting Google Doodle page you can use any Bulk image downloader to download all the images in that particular page. So that you don't need to right click and save each and every individual doodles.

arulappan

Posted 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Reputation: 943

2I think that since the OP asks for "usage" he wants to download the interactive doodles (as the ones for the Olympics) – Matteo – 2012-08-10T05:47:06.830

@Matteo i agree with you – BlueBerry - Vignesh4303 – 2012-08-10T09:03:24.210

2-1 : Doodles are not only images. – harrymc – 2012-08-11T20:54:19.707

1

It´s very easy! Just right click on the google doodle -> save picture. Then choose "gif image" and you can play it in a picture show program like "photos" in Windows 8!

the6am3rLMG

Posted 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Reputation: 11

0

I have a another method to save google doodle for offline. Tested and on two google doodles successfully.

1.Open Google Doodle Page Using Microsoft Edge (Recommended Version Microsoft Edge 41.16299.15.0)

2.Open the doodle and right click it and select Open in new tab.

3.Copy the URL in address bar and paste it in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

  1. Now press Alt+X the go to File>Save as and save it as (.mht).

5.After that open the file you just saved.

6.Enjoy your google doodle offline.

Regards, HM Rahee

HM Rahee

Posted 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Reputation: 1

Asked: 2012-08-09T10:32:25.173

Viewed: 48 094 times

Active: 2018-01-25T07:53:20.317