Snoo is the alien mascot of the social news site Reddit, a small round-headed figure with red eyes and a single antenna.

Where did Snoo come from?

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian sketched the character before the site's public launch on June 23rd, 2005.

The name is a pun on 's'new,' derived from Snew.com, an early proposed URL for Reddit that folded into the site's 'what's new?' front-page premise.

Subreddits customize Snoo as their community logo, and Reddit users can build personal Snoovatar avatars through Reddit's own avatar builder.

Is Snoo still popular?

Snoo is still Reddit's primary mascot, appears across the site's UI and official merchandise, and inspires ongoing fan art in dedicated subreddits.

Snoo

2005mascotclassic

Published September 28, 2026

Snoo is the little red-eyed alien mascot Alexis Ohanian sketched for Reddit before the site even launched in June 2005. Two decades in, the character has spawned its own subreddits, custom subreddit logos across the site, and paid Snoovatar avatars that let users remix the alien into whatever they want.

reddit memes character design memes late 2000s memes cute character memes brand participation memes

Overview

The alien is a simple round-headed figure with a single antenna and, in most renditions, red eyes and stubby limbs 1. Its silhouette is minimal enough that Reddit communities repurpose the character endlessly, dressing it up in team jerseys, costumes and props to match each subreddit's theme.

Snoo shows up in the site header, on the 404 page and across official merchandise and mascot suits at Reddit meetups 1. Not everyone loves it: a widely upvoted Urban Dictionary entry complains that the cheerful teletubby-like design clashes with the more caustic tone of Reddit's actual comment sections 5.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Creator

Alexis Ohanian

Date

2005

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian sketched Snoo during the site's early planning and the character went live with Reddit's public launch on June 23rd, 2005 4. Ohanian doodled dozens of alien variants before settling on the final look, several of which were later shared publicly as a set of first digital drafts 2. The name itself is a pun on 's'new,' spun out of an early proposed domain name Snew.com and the 'what's new?' question the site's front page was built to answer 2.

How It Spread

Custom Snoo logos became a Reddit fixture early on, with individual subreddits swapping in themed alien variants for their own headers. Meta-communities followed: /r/Snoo launched in May 2010 for general discussion of the mascot, /r/bizarrosnoo opened in May 2012 for stranger fan renditions, and /r/snoospotting arrived in January 2014 for photos of Snoo art spotted in the real world 3.

In January 2015, Reddit unveiled Snoovatars, letting paid Reddit Gold subscribers build a personal alien avatar, and a matching /r/snoovatars community opened for users to trade designs; the official Reddit store rounded out the physical side with plush Snoos, figurines and shirts featuring the character 3.

Timeline

2005-06-23

Reddit launches publicly with Snoo as its mascot, sketched by co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

2010-05-30

The /r/Snoo subreddit is created for discussion of the mascot.

2011-08-12

The Next Web publishes Ohanian's earliest digital drafts of the alien.

2012-05-29

/r/bizarrosnoo opens for stranger fan renditions of the character.

2013-06

Reddit blog post 'What's Snoo?' publishes an explanation of the mascot and its name.

2014-01-28

/r/snoospotting is created for photos of real-world Snoo art and sightings.

2015-01

Reddit rolls out Snoovatars, giving Reddit Gold subscribers a personal Snoo builder.

How to Use This Meme

Communities typically riff on Snoo by keeping the round head and antenna intact while swapping the body color, outfit and props to match the subreddit's theme, from sports jerseys to niche hobbies and inside jokes.