Zombo.com is a single-serving site created in 1999. It was originally a faculty and student joke from the George Washington University Center for Professional Development. The site parodies Flash introductory web pages that play while the rest of a site's content loads. Zombo took the concept to a humorous extreme, consisting of one long introductory page that leads to an invitation to sign up for a newsletter.[1]
 The Flash version of Zombo.com | |
Type of site | HTML5 animation (previously Flash animation) |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| URL | www |
| Launched | November 28, 1999 |
| Current status | Online (as a website) |
The site was initially a Flash animation, but as of 5 January 2021 switched to HTML5 due to the discontinuation of Adobe Flash Player.
Content
editZombo.com consists of a "blank" page, a colorful title, and an animation of seven colorful pulsating round, circular discs, making them appear as if they are rotating quickly. The website also contains an audio clip of a man welcoming the visitor to "Zombocom".
Flash version
editAfter some time, the option to sign up for a "newZletter" appears. It is a continuation of the joke as it is a short link to http://www.zombo.com/join1.htm, which tells the reader that this particular option is not available yet. This message is conveyed as a humorously written thank you in the same register form of "newZletter," stating, "ThankZ for your patience."
The website's HTML markup also contains the comment "Please Visit http://www.15footstick.com our other website ThankZ", which leads to another parody website.
HTML5 version
editUnlike the Flash version, the audio clip will loop to the start when it ends, removing the "newZletter" message. The HTML markup comment was also removed. Additionally, the discs in the center spin rather than change color.
Popularity
editVideo game producer Bill Roper[2] and artist Dave Rowntree have each listed Zombo as their favorite website; Rowntree explains, "I think [zombo.com] paraphrases the [inter]net. Promises you the earth [sic] but delivers a bit of animation with a scratchy soundtrack!"[3] Web animator Joel Veitch chose Zombo.com as the least useful website since "it doesn't do anything except tell you how wonderful it is."[4] Ian McClelland, currently managing director of Guardian Australia,[5] but at the time Senior Producer for Cartoon Network, also cited Zombo.com as the least useful site in the same column two years previously [6] "Utterly useless, absolutely brilliant". Mark Sullivan of PC World listed Zombo among the Internet's ten most useless websites, concluding, "Well, in fact, nothing happens at zombo.com."[7] Samela Harris of The Advertiser calls Zombo.com "the most welcoming website on the Internet",[8] and Daryl Lim of Digital Life calls Zombo.com "the ultimate time-waster".[9] A listing in The Australian writes, "Zombo.com has just one joke, but it's a good one."[10] Zombo.com was also featured on Neal.fun's Internet Artifacts.
On 4 September 2013, Matthew Inman, creator of the webcomic The Oatmeal, listed Zombo.com as his favorite website in an interview with Runner's World.[11]
On 23 January 2020, Terry Cavanagh, programmer of VVVVVV and Super Hexagon, created a VR version of Zombo.com.[12]
On 10 January 2024, a version of Zombo.com[13] was released using the Ruffle emulator to play the original Flash animation in any modern browser.[14]
References
edit- ^ Green, Tom; Dias, Tiago (2010), Foundation Flash CS5 for Designers, Apress, p. 758, ISBN 978-1-4302-2994-0
- ^ Mackintosh, Hamish (22 August 2002), "WORKING IT OUT – WAR GAMES", The Guardian, p. 4, Factiva grdn000020020821dy8m001nj, retrieved 26 July 2011
- ^ Mackintosh, Hamish (5 April 2001), "INTERVIEW – Dave Rowntree", The Guardian, p. 4, Factiva grdn000020010712dx4500kap, retrieved 26 July 2011
- ^ Veitch, Joel (20 January 2003), "My New Media", The Guardian, p. 51, Factiva grdn000020030121dz1k000ce, retrieved 26 July 2011
- ^ "Ian McClelland appointed Managing Director, Guardian Australia". Guardian News and Media Limited.
- ^ Maclelland, Ian; Barton, Laura (October 21, 2001). "My new media". Guardian News and Media Limited.
- ^ Sullivan, Mark (2 October 2008), "The Bottom 10: The Web's Most Useless Sites", PC World, retrieved 25 July 2011
- ^ Harris, Samela (20 October 2004), "Internut", The Advertiser, p. L14, Factiva ADVTSR0020041019e0ak0009d
- ^ Lim, Daryl (13 February 2007), "Nothing to do? Check out these five weird websites", Digital Life, Factiva COMPTI0020070212e32d0000d
- ^ Staff (22 April 2003), "Surf IT", The Australian, Factiva austln0020030421dz4m000ms
- ^ Remy, Mark (September 4, 2013). "An Interview With The Oatmeal". Rodale Incorporated.
- ^ Cavanagh, Terry. "Zombocom VR". GitHub. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ Wareing, Jonty. "welcometozombo.com".
- ^ Wareing, Jonty. "The Original Zombocom". GitHub.