If you’ve used GitHub for any length of time, you’ve probably seen their odd “Octocat” logo. This cute little cat also has a lot of bizarre variations, here’s an explanation of them all!

The (mostly) full list of octocats is available in GitHub’s “Octodex”, and they can to be used to refer to GitHub or as a personal avatar picture, but (unsurprisingly) not for commercial purposes or physical products. They’re very, very cute, and they definitely deserve more visibility. Maybe this article will help!

Who is Mona the Octocat?

Mona (Lisa) the Octocat’s story has been described in absorbing, first-hand detail by Cameron McEfee, the man who has created more octocats than anyone, including the first 13 adaptations! There’s also an entire art book and stickers.

To summarise, in 2011 illustrator Cameron McEfee was tasked with adapting GitHub’s existing stock image mascot “Octopuss” (picked as a reference to git’s “octopus merge”) for use in GitHub’s error pages, and he gave it costumes and personality.

These were so popular that “50% of GitHub’s lifetime Twitter traffic was generated by my first week’s work” (source), very impressive for an error page illustration! This then led to many, many, many more adaptations, and the creation of the Octodex.

Since then, many artists have created octocats in evolving styles, and it continues to feature prominently in most of GitHub’s communications. Some Octocat descriptions are only possible due to information from former employees, thanks!

Standard Octocats

Classic Octocats

First up, the earlier Octocat variants. They are still very clearly variants on the original Octocat, and typically have a 2D, face-on appearance, with limited details and a recognisable stance. Whilst some have a modified position or other characters, they’re all easily identifiable as Octocat.

The majority of Pop Culture Octocats and around half of the Real People Octocats are from this fruitful period.

This era lasted from early 2011 to late 2012.


#1: Original
Simon Oxley (2011-03-23)
The Octocat that started it all, originally named "Octopuss"!
#2: Class Act
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-28)
Used as promotional material for a party. Was also used to highlight PSD diffing.
#4: Puppeteer
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-30)
Most likely used for something related to the Puppeteer web automation tool.

#5: Scottocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-30)
This is most likely Scott Chacon, a GitHub co-founder with a similar profile picture.
#6: Benevocats
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-31)
Presumably a play on "benevolent", used for GitHub's Global Indigenous CoB.
#7: Forktocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-31)
Included in early onboarding docs, a reference to "Fork"ing a repository. Reused for Neurocats Employee Resource Group.

#8: Repo
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-31)
Included in early onboarding docs, a reference to repositories.
#9: Setuptocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-31)
Included in early onboarding docs.
#10: Socialite
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-31)
Included in early onboarding docs, specifically around social features.

#11: Drupalcat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-01)
A reference to the Drupal CMS.
#12: Pythocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-01)
A reference to the Python language, used for Python related posts.
#14: Bouncer
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-03)
Most likely used for real life merchandise for (real world!) office security.

#15: Octonaut
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-04)
A play on "Astronaut".
#19: Swagtocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-09)
A reference to free items from the CodeConf 2011 event.
#23: Inspectocat
Jason Costello (2011-04-13)
Likely a reference to a browser's "Inspect Element" feature. This was the first octocat not by Cameron McEfee!

#25: Agendacat
Jason Costello (2011-04-15)
An agenda, presumably also used in relation to CodeConf 2011.
#29: Total Eclipse of the Octocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-19)
Created for an Eclipse IDE related article, with a pun on the 1983 song "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
#30: Constructocat
Jason Costello (2011-05-01)
Probably used for "Under Construction" screen(s).

#31: Collabocats
Jason Costello (2011-05-02)
A play on the word "collaboration".
#32: Supportcat
Jason Costello (2011-05-03)
Presumably used in relation to help / support.
#33: Cherryontop-o-cat
Jason Costello (2011-05-04)
Unknown

#36: Jenktocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-05-12)
A reference to the Jenkins CI system.
#37: Poptocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-05-13)
Likely a play on "Pop", since there is also a "Momtocat". Used for Father's Day in June.
#38: Scarletteocat
Jordan McCullough (2011-05-14)
Created by a former employee for his daughter Scarlette.

#40: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, Dodgetocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-05-16)
A reference to The Five D's of Dodgeball from the film Dodgeball. Used for inter-company dodgeball tournaments.
#41: Not Octocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-06-10)
Translates from French into "this is not an octopus cat".
#43: Bear Cavalry
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-02)
A reference to the "Bear Cavalry" meme popular at the time.

#44: Spectrocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-02)
Unknown, possibly just a play on "Spectre".
#47: Shoptocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-05)
Themed after an employee who handled merchandise.
#48: Oktobercat
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-06)
A reference to Oktoberfest.

#51: Hipster Partycat
Jina Anne (2011-07-09)
Likely used for "a company party invitation" as mentioned on the creator's CV.
#53: Father Timeout
Jason Costello (2011-10-02)
Used to "soften errors with cuteness". A play on "Father Time".
#54: Grim Repo
Cameron McEfee (2011-10-27)
A play on "Grim Reaper", created purely for the excellent pun.

#55: Octocat De Los Muertos
Cameron McEfee (2011-10-28)
A reference to the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
#61: Thanktocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-11-23)
A reference to the holiday Thanksgiving.
#62: Ordered Listocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-12-05)
Used to announce GitHub's acquisition of "Ordered List".

#63: Saint Nicktocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-12-05)
A play on Saint Nick / Santa Claus.
#66: Dojocat
Cameron McEfee (2012-01-18)
Made for stickers at GitHub's "CoderDojo" sessions.
#70: Codercat
Cameron McEfee (2012-02-15)
Represents a generic user, in the likeness of an employee at the time.

#71: Electrocat
Cameron McEfee (2012-02-29)
Used for GitHub's "Security and IT" jobs, possibly something to do with making connections.
#72: Snow Octocat
Cameron McEfee (2012-03-05)
A reference to Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
#73: Momtocat
Tony Jaramillo (2012-05-13)
A reference to Mom / Mum, used for Mother's day around this time.

#75: Red Polo
Cameron McEfee (2012-06-21)
A reference to Scott Guthrie, a senior leader at Microsoft who often wears a red polo. Unknown purpose.
#78: Droidtocat
Tony Jaramillo (2012-07-09)
Used for the first GitHub Android app release in July 2012.
#82: Deckfailcat
Matt Graham (2012-08-02)
Something related to the Speaker Deck software, possibly used as their 404 page.

#119: Private Investocat
James Kang (2015-01-27)
Presumably a reference to private investigators, often used for security related articles. Also used on the original GitHub Security Bounty page.

Modern Octocats

After the “Classic” octocats and their relatively static appearances came the “Modern” octocats, with each clearly being a distinct piece of art, often with a unique position. Although Tony Jaramillo created the first of this era (Dodgetocat v2), it’s James Kang who really churned out creations!

This era lasted from late 2012 to late 2014.


#85: Dodgetocat v2
Tony Jaramillo (2012-10-25)
Another dodgeball cat, for another dodgeball event.
#90: Skitchtocat
Jon Rohan (2012-12-15)
Presumably a reference to the screen annotating software Skitch (now owned by Evernote, previously used often by GitHub), as evidenced by the octocat being made up of arrow annotations.
#91: Motherhubbertocat
James Kang (2013-01-27)
Possibly a reference to an internal piece of software.

#92: Robotocat
James Kang (2013-01-28)
A robotic octocat, unknown purpose.
#94: Professortocat v2
James Kang (2013-02-11)
A stereotypical professor with an apple and cane, used for GitHub Education originally, and other training related posts.
#95: Kimonotocat
James Kang (2013-02-27)
A reference to the Japanese clothing Kimono, possibly used for a Heroku-related event.

#96: Mardigrastocat
James Kang (2013-02-27)
A reference to Mardi Gras, occurring a few days after this released.
#97: Poptocat v2
Tony Jaramillo (2013-04-19)
An iteration on the earlier "Pop" octocat, possibly for Father's Day in a couple of months.
#101: Femalecodertocat
James Kang (2013-07-01)
A female version of "Codercat".

#102: Octoliberty
James Kang (2013-07-05)
A reference to the Statue of Liberty.
#104: Labtocat
Joao Ribeiro (2013-08-18)
Possibly a reference to some sort of "feature lab", unknown.
#106: Steroidtocat
James Kang (2013-12-13)
A reference to steroids, possibly a replacement for "Bouncer".

#107: Yaktocat
James Kang (2013-12-13)
Created for a Thai conference sponsorship, probably the Thai traditional "Khon", especially this image.
#112: Saritocat
Joao Ribeiro (2014-04-30)
Created for an Indian conference sponsorship, and often used for India-related posts.
#113: Luchadortocat
James Kang & Joao Ribeiro (2014-09-26)
Created for a conference sponsership (presumably Mexican), a reference to Mexican wrestlers (Luchadors).

#114: Saketocat
James Kang (2014-09-27)
Created for a Japanese conference sponsorship, a reference to Japanese rice wine sake.
#115: Minertocat
James Kang (2014-09-29)
An octocat panning for gold, unknown usage.

Extra Modern Octocats

Towards the end of 2014, something unusual happened to Octocat! It gained more detailed features, distinctive expressions, eyes, and other facial features, and it is clearly not a human. The limbs seem much “stretchier”, and the character is in much more active poses.

Many of these images were used for temporary landing pages, promotional material, and other short-lived content. As such, finding the actual source or reason behind their creation can be tricky!

This era started in late 2014 (primarily due to Joao Ribeiro’s work, his many years of Octocat-related work are here) and is still dominant, with minor changes along the way. Internally this is called “Octocat 2.0” style.


#116: Jetpacktocat
Tony Jaramillo (2014-11-11)
Created for the launch for GitHub Enterprise, now used for GitHub's integrations organisation.
#120: Filmtocat
James Kang (2015-04-29)
Created as a reference to GitHub's internal video team, now used for GitHub's "Marketing and Communications" jobs.
#121: Welcometocat
Tony Jaramillo & Joao Ribeiro & Joel Glovier (2015-11-16)
Used for welcome emails, and similar introductory / congulatory material. There are multiple designs.

#122: Inflatocat
Ruby Jazz (2016-09-21)
A reference to inflatable pool toys, for unknown use.
#124: Skatetocat
Suzie Jurado (2016-11-16)
Unknown use, reference to skateboarding
#128: Dinotocat
Haley Carroll & Kim Estoesta (2017-05-15)
Created for National Dinosaur Day.

#130: Saint Nictocat (v2)
Haley Carroll (2017-12-18)
A reference to Saint Nicholas, for Christmas a week later!
#132: Justicetocat
Haley Carroll (2018-03-01)
Used for GitHub's "Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs" jobs, originally created for Women's History Month.
#133: Snowtocat
Haley Carroll (2018-03-20)
Reference to skiing, used for social media post.

#134: Tentocat
Haley Carroll & Joao Ribeiro & Cameron Foxly (2018-04-10)
Used to celebrate 10 years since GitHub's official launch.
#135: Vinyltocat
Joao Ribeiro & Suzie Jurado (2018-04-21)
Unknown use, reference to vinyl records.
#136: Scubatocat
Cameron Foxly (2018-06-05)
Reference to National Scuba Month.

#138: Surftocat
James Kang (2018-06-14)
Reference to surfing, unknown purpose.
#140: Umbrellatocat
Ruby Jazz (2018-09-13)
Used for a GitHub Field Day event.
#141: Sentrytocat
Cameron McEfee (2018-10-09)
Used for a GitHub / Sentry partnership post.

#144: Fintechtocat
Cecilio Ruiz (2019-06-18)
A reference to fintech (Financial technology), used to announce partnership with Fintech Open Source Foundation.
#150: Manufacturetocat
Haley Carroll (2021-03-04)
Unknown use, reference to manufacturing.
#152: Yogitocat
Joao Ribeiro (2021-04-06)
Used to celebrate the launch for GitHub India.

#154: Godotocat
Joao Ribeiro & Lee Reilly (2023-03-21)
Used to announce a Godot 4.0 Release Party.
#156: Sponsortocat
Cameron Foxly (2024-12-12)
Presumably used in relation to the GitHub Sponsors program.
#157: Universetocat
Cameron Foxly (2024-12-12)
Used for GitHub Universe 2024, with Mona the Octocat accompanied by Copilot (AI). The wings are code brackets, and the icon on her head is a commit, as discussed in an accompanying video.

#158: Securityknightocat
Cameron Foxly (2024-12-17)
Unknown, presumably used in relation to some sort of GitHub verification / security, perhaps Advanced Security due to similar "checkmark shield" designs (also note Copilot on the belt, and commit / fork icons on armour).

Animated Octocats


#46: Nyantocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-04)
A recreation of the Nyan Cat meme.
#99: Daftpunktocat-Guy
James Kang (2013-06-10)
A reference to Guy in Daft Punk.
#100: Daftpunktocat-Thomas
James Kang (2013-06-10)
A reference to Thomas in Daft Punk.

#105: Mummytocat
Tony Jaramillo (2013-10-31)
A mummy, used in a gaming post but originally created for halloween.
#108: Maxtocat
James Kang (2013-12-25)
A reference to Christmas (released on Christmas day!), unknown purpose.
#109: Grinchtocat
Tony Jaramillo (2013-12-26)
A reference to the Grinch character & Christmas (released on Boxing day!), unknown purpose.

#110: Carlostocat
James Kang (2014-01-01)
A reference to the baby Carlos from The Hangover film, possibly due to partying on New Year's Eve the day before!
#117: Gobble-o-tron
Tony Jaramillo & Joao Ribeiro (2014-11-27)
A reference to Thanksgiving (a Turkey's noise is often described as "gobble gobble").
#137: Hulatocat
Haley Carroll (2018-06-11)
A reference to the Hawaiian dance Hula, for unknown purpose. Possibly just social media post.

#153: NUXtocat
Cameron Foxly (2021-07-19)
A reference to "New User Experience" (NUX), hence the capitalisation, not the framework "nuxt"! Used for sign-up flow.

Pop Culture Octocats

A surprising number of the octocats are drawn in the style of a TV show or other pop culture characters!


#3: Octobi Wan Catnobi
Cameron McEfee (2011-03-29)
A reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars, used on 404 page. The first public variation (along with this Wile E. Coyote reference)!
#16: Trekkie
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-05)
A reference to Geordi La Forge from Star Trek.
#21: Spocktocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-11)
A reference to Spock from Star Trek.

#22: Jean-Luc Picat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-12)
A reference to Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek.
#24: Ironcat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-14)
A reference to Iron Man.
#26: Octoclark Kentocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-16)
A reference to Superman AKA Clark Kent.

#27: Okal-Eltocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-17)
A reference to Superman AKA Kal-El.
#28: Blinktocat, Pinktocat, Inktocat, and Clyde
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-18)
A reference to the 4 ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde) in Pac Man.
#34: Chellocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-05-10)
A reference to Chell from Portal.

#35: X-tocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-05-11)
A reference to Wolverine from X-Men.
#42: Andycat
Jordan McCullough (2011-07-01)
A reference to the "Shot Marilyns" series of paintings by Andy Warhol.
#50: Riddlocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-08)
A reference to Riddler from Batman.

#52: Where's Waldocat
Jason Costello (2011-10-01)
A reference to the Where's Wally / Waldo series.
#56: Baracktocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-10-29)
A reference to Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" slogan.
#57: Octotron
Diana Mounter (2011-10-29)
A reference to the Tron series of films.

#58: Plumber
Cameron McEfee (2011-11-04)
A reference to Mario.
#59: Linktocat
Cameron McEfee (2011-11-14)
A reference to Link.
#60: Megacat
Jason Costello (2011-11-18)
A reference to Mega Man.

#67: Doctocat Brown
Jon Rohan (2012-01-19)
A reference to Doc Brown from Back to the Future.
#68: Adventure Cat
Jon Rohan (2012-01-22)
A reference to Finn from Adventure Time.
#69: Strongbadtocat
Cameron McEfee (2012-02-13)
A reference to Strong Bad from Homestar Runner.

#74: 20% Cooler Octocat
Cameron McEfee (2012-06-13)
A reference to Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony.
#76: Heisencat
Jon Rohan (2012-07-03)
A reference to Heisenberg (aka Walter White) from Breaking Bad.
#79: Minion
Nick Hengeveld (2012-07-11)
A reference to Minions from Despicable Me.

#80: Homercat
Nick Hengeveld (2012-07-13)
A reference to Homer Simpson from The Simpsons.
#81: Murakamicat
Billy Roh (2012-07-31)
A reference to Mr. DOB by Takashi Murakami.
#83: Pusheencat
Billy Roh (2012-08-13)
A reference to Pusheen.

#84: Stormtroopocat
James Kang (2012-10-15)
Based on Star Wars' Stormtrooper, created when "[GitHub] asked James to design the Octocat he thought the Octodex was missing most and he completely dazzled [GitHub] with his Stormtroopocat"
#86: Megacat v2
James Kang (2012-10-25)
A reference to Mega Man.
#87: Spidertocat
James Kang (2012-10-25)
A reference to Spider-Man.

#88: Dr. Octocat
James Kang (2012-10-26)
A reference to Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man
#89: Gangnamtocat
James Kang (2012-10-31)
A reference to Gangnam Style by Psy.
#103: Dunetocat
Joao Ribeiro (2013-08-18)
A reference to Dune.

#111: Topguntocat
Lee Reilly & Tony Jaramillo (2014-04-11)
Created as the logo for an internal app, possibly related to video streaming. A reference to Top Gun.
#123: Bewitchedtocat
Haley Carroll (2016-10-31)
A reference to the sitcom Bewitched, used for Halloween themed posts.
#139: Boxertocat
Ruby Jazz (2018-07-08)
Used for GitHub's 2017 GDC afterparty, likely a reference to Street Fighter's Ryu.

#142: Filmtocats
Haley Carroll (2018-12-20)
A reference to GitHub's internal video team.
#151: Mona the Rivetertocat
Joao Ribeiro (2021-03-08)
A reference to Rosie the Riveter.

Real People Octocats

Some are based on real people, a mixture of historical figures, current celebrities, and even GitHub employees.


#13: Founding Father
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-02)
A reference to the USA Founding Father George Washington.
#17: Monroe
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-06)
A reference to Marilyn Monroe, see also "Andycat".
#20: Wilson
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-10)
A reference to Brian Wilson, a baseball player.

#45: Octdrey Catburn
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-03)
A reference to Audrey Hepburn, an actress. A similar image was used for a charity OctoGala.
#49: Visionary
Cameron McEfee (2011-07-07)
A reference to Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO.
#65: Defunktocat
Jason Costello (2012-01-13)
Styled after GitHub Co-founder Chris Wanstrath (aka defunkt).

#93: Goretocat
James Kang (2013-02-03)
A reference to Frank Gore, american football player.
#98: Founding Father v2
James Kang (2013-05-24)
A reference to the USA Founding Father George Washington.
#118: Gracehoppertocat
James Kang (2014-12-03)
A reference to Grace Hopper, an early computer scientist. Also used for Octovets CoB.

#125: McEfeeline
Tony Jaramillo (2017-01-27)
A reference to Cameron McEfee who made an overwhelmingly number of early Octocats, and "had the foresight to dress up our feline cephlapod for the first time".
#127: Benjamin Bannekat
Haley Carroll & Tony Jaramillo & Joao Ribeiro (2017-02-28)
A reference to Benjamin Banneker, a mathematician, created for unknown purposes.
#129: Mona Lovelace
Haley Carroll (2017-12-12)
A reference to Ada Lovelace (Mona is Octocat's nickname), created for her 202nd birthday.

#126: Catstello
Tony Jaramillo (2017-01-28)
A reference to "Jason Costello", who created a few Octocats! Apparently "Originally bred in the hills of New Jersey, it has migrated west spreading good vibes, stunning design, and an unapologetic bias towards proper typography".
#143: Brennatocat
Joao Ribeiro (2019-03-29)
Styled after a former GitHub employee.

Non-Standard Octocats

Not Octocats

Some of the octocats… are not octocats! They’re robots, clouds, crabs, and dogs.


#18: Hubot
Cameron McEfee (2011-04-07)
Hubot is GitHub's mostly internal chatbot platform that enables automations like translating texts. Used for all bot-related content, and in animations.
#39: Cloud
Cameron McEfee (2011-05-15)
A reference to GitHub being a "cloud" service.
#64: Nemesis
Cameron McEfee (2012-01-09)
A reference to BitBucket ("Herme T. Crab, codes not socially, but alone"), only ever used in a minigame mockup.

#77: Octofez
Nick Hengeveld (2012-07-04)
A portrait of the artist's dog.

Series Octocats

Finally, a few octocats are part of a series. These are used for internal Employee Resource Groups.

#131: Blacktocats by Cameron Foxly (2018-02-21)

Created for GitHub’s Black Employee Resource Group.

#145: Adacats by Cameron Foxly (2020-01-08)

Created for GitHub’s Gender Minorities Employee Resource Group.

#146: Octogatos by Cameron Foxly (2020-02-24)

Created for GitHub’s Latinx Employee Resource Group.

#147: Terracottocat by Chubbmo (2020-03-05)

Created for the Chinese GitHub community.

#148: Octoqueer by Cameron Foxly & Tony Jaramillo & Joao Ribeiro (2020-03-13)

Created for GitHub’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group.

#149: OctoAsians by Cameron Foxly (2020-09-28)

Created for GitHub’s Asian Employee Resource Group.

#155: Parentocats by Joao Ribeiro (2023-07-14)

Likely created for GitHub’s parents Employee Resource Group.

Undocumented Octocats

In addition to the 150+ documented octocats in the Octodex, there are tons of other ones hidden all over the place if you keep an eye out!

For example, GitHub’s blog posts often have unique octocats (many many many examples on each word), as do third party sites working with GitHub (e.g. AppCanary). Many early blog posts now have broken images, so it’s likely many octocats were used there.

Some of these undocumented octocats are mentioned on GitHub’s Dribbble, or individual designers’ sites, and almost all end up eventually used in GitHub’s social media posts (LinkedIn, GitHub, Facebook).

Cameron McEfee in particular (the artist behind the first “batch” & many more) often shares unpublished examples on Mastodon (examples one, two, three, four, five).

Finally, don’t forget you can create your own Octocat too!

Statistics

Note: Tables in this section count series as 1 each, and uses this Python code to parse the XML data.

Octocats By Artist

With all the excellent artwork in this post, credit absolutely has to be given to the talented artists who created them. These are typically designers creating promotional octocats, but in the early days some designers clearly created them as a hobby hence all the pop culture references (Cameron McEfee, James Kang)!

Later on, many octocats were created in formats not suitable for the Octodex (e.g. these amazing pieces featuring 30+ in one!), so the totals here only cover those explicitly added to the Octodex. It’s likely that the creators of the “Extra Modern” style have probably created far more, they’re just not documented.

I’ve also heard rumours of an upcoming increased focus on Mona the Octocat, so there’ll presumably be more names and numbers coming soon!

Artist Count
cameronmcefee 58
jeejkang 27
johncreek 15
tonyjaramillo 14
heyhayhay 11
jasoncostello 11
cameronfoxly 11
jonrohan 4
rubyjazzy 3
nickh 3
leereilly 2
suziejurado 2
billyroh 2
chubbmo 1
ceciliorz 1
kimestoesta 1
jglovier 1
mattgraham 1
broccolini 1
jina 1
jordanmccullough 1
simon 1

I really like how many employees have only ever created one, with some perhaps only being a temporary intern yet still getting a chance to make permanent mark on the culture.

Octocats By Year

Somewhat less positively, looking at the octocats added to the Octodex over time shows how drastically this has decreased over time. Part of this is presumably GitHub growing and becoming less willing to release impulsive octocats (like Walter White!), but I suspect an even bigger part is a lack of interest in updating the Octodex. New octocats are being created (see Undocumented Octocats), they’re unfortunately just not being recorded.

The creator of the first Octocat adaptation (Cameron McEfee) maintained the Octodex in the early days, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that it does not include all octocats 13 years after the first batch!

Year Count
2011 63
2012 27
2013 19
2014 9
2015 3
2016 3
2017 6
2018 12
2019 2
2020 5
2021 4
2023 2
2024 2

Conclusion

In conclusion… I love Mona the Octocat. It’s quite unusual that a stock image used initially for a tech startup survives nearly 15 years later, let alone with enough popularity to have an art book, figurine, and sculpture of them!

It’s a great way to give a bit of personality to what could be a bland, megacorp-owned, code management website (looking at you BitBucket…), and obviously instantly earns goodwill amongst cat fans. No, it doesn’t quite make sense (what does a cat really have to do with code!?), but that’s half the appeal, a little bit of quirk.

It’s a shame the Octodex is not as updated as it used to be, and GitHub’s recent focus on AI (and the not-quite-as-cute Copilot icon) has made Mona a little less visible than she used to be. However, I suspect she’ll come back, perhaps with yet another evolution!

“Walk cycles” animations by Tony Jaramillo, from “The Octocat - a nerdy household name“.