14 Years Ago, The Best Scene From The Worst 'Shrek' Movie Became A Meme
After weeks of memes mourning the loss of the fox from the Firefox logo (which, to be clear, is still there), Firefox has stepped in to tell everyone to calm down.
Last week, Firefox published a very exasperated blog post explaining that the fox is still a part of the browser's iconic logo. First, Firefox identified the @very_real_Luigi tweet that started the whole mess, which claimed that the brand had "killed the fox."
THEY KILLED
THE FUCKING FOX pic.twitter.com/mr3Ys4zNWb— Real Luigi ™ (@very_real_Luigi) February 20, 2021
"That bottom middle image with the fox curled around the purple globe is our current Firefox browser logo," it wrote. "The bottom right image of the fiery marble is our parent brand logo, which represents the family of Firefox products we make outside of just the Firefox browser, like Firefox Monitor."
"We didn’t get rid of the fox then and have no plans to do so now, or ever," they continued.
Firefox acknowledges that the memeing of their logo is a bit of a double-edged controversy. While the outcry about the logo is certainly drawing more attention to Firefox, the updated logo went into effect in 2019, meaning those expressing offense at the supposed death of the logo haven't been paying attention to Firefox for two years.
"What this moment showed us first and foremost is that apparently some of Firefox’s most ardent fans aren’t actually using the browser because then they’d know the beloved fox icon is alive and well in Firefox. All you have to do is click on it every day on your desktop," it wrote.
Ultimately, the Firefox logo meme isn't really about memers being upset about Firefox—the "new" logo was just the catalyst for a backlash against a general graphic design trend towards "minimalism," as evidenced in the Oversimplified Logo trend that developed out of the Firefox meme and the adjacent memeing of Corporate Art Styles.
The company took its moment in the middle of an unexpected whirlwind of memes and controversy to point out that memes have just as much power to spread misinformation as traditional media outlets.
"…It also feels important to point out in cases like this that not all misinformation looks the same. It’s not all sensational headlines. Sometimes it’s memes. And meme cycles move and evolve quickly, so you’ve got this turning into this turning into this, getting funnier and also further from reality by degrees," it wrote.
For what it's worth, Firefox Nightly users will soon be served a special version of the older, more detailed Firefox logo.
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