Snoo

Snoo is the name of Reddit's mascot, the small, antenna-topped alien that has represented the site since its launch in 2005. The character was doodled by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian during a marketing class in his final year at the University of Virginia, and its design is deliberately simple and androgynous: a rounded, genderless figure with red eyes and a single antenna meant to evoke a time-and-space-traveling visitor. The name derives from "S'new," an early candidate name for Reddit playing on the question "What's new?" Snoo's blank-slate look was intentional, a canvas users could customize and project ideas onto.

On Reddit, Snoo is woven throughout the platform's visual identity and community culture. Countless subreddits create their own costumed or themed renditions of the alien for their logos and snoovatars, turning the mascot into a shared symbol that signals belonging while letting each community express its personality. Snoo appears in Reddit's branding, error pages, and merchandise, and the figure has evolved through several official redesigns over the years—most notably a flatter, modernized version introduced in Reddit's 2017 logo refresh—while keeping its core silhouette recognizable. As a cultural touchstone, Snoo embodies Reddit's self-image as a quirky, user-driven space rather than a polished corporate platform.