10 Google Doodles from 2010 Never Before Seen in the U.S

If the artistic logos displayed on Google's search homepage pique users' curiosity, it's no accident. Ever since its first year, 1998, Google has taken artistic license with this logo, and the company eventually hired a team of creators to fashion these "doodles."

The themed logos commemorate annual holidays and special events of cultural and societal significance, such as artists' birthdays, sports tournaments and anniversaries of scientific discoveries.

"It's a way to personally connect with our users," said Mike Dutton, who joined Google's now-four-person team of doodlers last spring. "We really do try to reach out."

However, recognizing that one nation's big party day might be just any ol' Tuesday elsewhere in the world, Google decided early on to start running some country- and region-specific doodles.

On Nov. 15, 2000, Google heralded the Japanese children's festival of Shichi-go-san with a special doodle visible only to web surfers accessing the Japanese version of the homepage. A crane and a turtle - symbols of longevity in the Land of the Rising Sun - decorated this first foreign doodle. Since then, scores of international doodles have delighted and educated people across the globe.

In the following countdown, TechNewsDaily presents 10 of the most eye-catching and interesting doodles from this year that U.S. residents never saw during their web searches. Dutton, who drew some of them himself, offers behind-the-scenes commentary on the creative and artistic process as well.

Click here to access the full list.