The Windows XP Frog Mystery…

i enjoyed this video! although i don't really involve myself much in the windows scene nowadays, i am the person behind the windows aesthetics projects and i'm happy that my research and archival efforts continue to be appreciated for years to come. perhaps one day the answer to the question "who took frog?" will arise, even if it's buried deep in corporate archives if anyone is curious what i'm up to nowadays, i am still involved with various preservation projects, especially related to music; i'm a trusted editor on vgmdb and have been cataloguing thousands of albums there. i myself am a musician, please consider checking out my work!

Even as a child I thought it was a rubber toy like a rubber duck. Never would have thought it was a plushie.

God damn, that "Chess image is the default dad profile picture" statement was crazy accurate 🎯

I think it's so awesome there's one guy out there who's dedicated a large portion of his time and effort to track down different windows XP profile pictures and setup a wiki for the wallpapers.

very intrigued by the fact you thought it was a plushie- even at the very low res, its details look too smooth and painted to be a plushie

I'm tickled by the idea that a bunch of toy manufacturers might have been inspired by the design of a rubber frog used in a random Windows avatar.

We gotta 3D model then print the XP Frog.

Hey, I know where this is from! It is a bath toy! I had one when I was younger, before Windows XP even came out, so I assume the toy came before the profile pic. I got it from the dollar store. There were actually three of them that looked exactly like this, down to the exact coloring and paint, along with a large, flat, dishlike "mama" frog the three could ride on made of the same material. I have no idea the manufacturer or anything, but seeing as it was from the dollar store, it may have been produced in China or similar.

Interesting that you thought it was a plush. I always thought it was a rubber frog like a rubber duck even when I was younger. I’m pretty sure I used the frog when we were just using the default before I uploaded my own images. My brother was the skateboarder and mum was the gerbera (the flower) as it was actually her fave flower. I think my sister was the soccer ball considering she played at the time.

one thing that always gets me... when thinking about lost things... is that there are probably a bunch of these sitting in various stages of decomposition in a landfill somewhere.... like they're not gone.. just lost............ but still THERE...............

oh him? that's just Joe. he was head of HR at microsoft when I worked there back in '04. chill guy.

I still have my plushie frog I won from a Pizza Hut claw machine as a child. He is my prized possession and he has a cute little Christmas hat. Watching this video was very nostalgic for me. I hope you find your Froggy soon 🍀

Okay so, MJD/LGR content mixed with Scott the Woz humor/editing? I immediately love this channel!

Hello i am from russia and I actually vaguely remember this frog from my childhood it is still on sale I used this phrase to search for it “лягушка игрушка резиновая для ванны” it translates to “frog toy rubber for bath” I added the for bath part because i vaguely remember that the frog was a bath toy . Also I can help with Russian to English translation if you need it.

Little internet searches like these are my favorite kind of content to watch on YouTube. It’s sooo interesting and fun to watch. It’s like watching a very niche piece of history unfold

The "Joseph.jpg" filename may indicate that either the frog, the creator of the frog, or the company is named "Joseph".

As a frog, I appreciate the effort and your interest

a forg...... used to talk to one back in the days

EASY LEGENDARY TIER I LOVE FROG!!!!!!!!!!🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

There was always something charming in this frog and I also low-key wanted to obtain it and swim with it in a bath when I was four. Probably mainly because green's my fav colour and that shade in particular is my fav as well. Back when I had XP and I played solitaire I always played it just for the sake of seeing that frog again. God bless you in your future searches