For the PHP developer what little desk doo-dad could be more cuter than the plushy elephpants? These little elephant creatures come in all colors and variations to suit the different occasions they have been created for.
A Hugely Popular Scripting Language
As of April 2017 PHP is still the language underneath most websites around the world, 82% of all websites according to W3Techs.com and 244 million websites by official site PHP.net ‘s last count. That’s a huge margin and it includes 100% of sites on many super popular platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and Laravel.
Every good product and community need a logo, and the story goes that the original elephpant was a play on the letters themselves. The first “P” becomes the ear and trunk, then some legs, and an elephant butt formed from the last “P”.
Where Do The Elephpants Come From?
These fun web developer desk toys have been around for about a decade, and they are usually released one at a time for special events. Here’s a reference guide to the Elephpants – from the glittery gold 20th Anniversary model to the True North PHP Wooly Mammoth.
I’ve seen a few in person but never taken one home, although the Flickr Gallery of Elephpants is making me reconsider that decision. Nowhere have I seen a cuter web development mascot!
Sponsored Elephpants
These little guys have many big name sponsors including Oracle, Zend, Laravel, and PHPWomen. At least one (the HHVM “Hackyderm”) was just a prototype and was never actually released, so that would probably make it the most rare elephpant of all.
Generally these toys run hand sized, the official measurement being 6″, but occasionally a design will be oversize. I’ve never seen the 14″ pachyderms in person, hopefully they are just as cute. Maybe I’ll get wildly creative and make my own elephant? Wouldn’t that be fun!
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