Many users told me that I should create a page in English to talk about
the elePHPant. Here it is :))!

I am inviting you to discover how and why the elePHPant is born...

In 1998, I decided to begin learning the PHP language. As a graphics designer, I wanted to learn how to create dynamic pages for my personal web site. While I was learning, I discovered the power of this language and its applications. Naturally, I started to making drawings about PHP. So, I create the first elePHPant, illustrating the power of PHP...

>> See the first drawing of elephpant of 1999.

This picture was created for fun, just to send to a friend who begun learning this language, like I did. The elePHPant was telling him "PHP, is stronger than you!". This friend suggested that I propose this picture to well known PHP french sites. To my surprise, they immediately adopted it! This picture has been used by many others. Some french PHP Web masters asked me to illustrate their site with elePHPants.

So, that was the beginning of the elePHPant story. But you can ask me, "Why an elephant to symbolize PHP?"

If you pay attention to the tree letters P H P, you note that the set looks like an elephant (see the banner up page).

After the first illustrations, a friend suggest me to create a "logo" with the elePHPant, with color and typography of the official logo.

I proposed to the french PHP community making it available as free download. Some of web masters started using it in their sites. It is today a logo for many french PHP sites. Even though it is not an official logo...a lot of french users adopted it.

In 2002, Rasmus Lerdorf (PHP "creator") recognized the elePHPant as a possible alternative for PHP logo. A link to elePHPants appears now in the logo downloading page of the official PHP site, www.php.net

Why a PHP mascott?

PHP is a popular Open Source product but it lacks of a strong branding figure that helps people recognize PHP related initiatives, like Tux the penguin that is used to represent Linux related initiatives. ElePHPant is meant to fill that void in the PHP community.

ElePHPant is now very popular in France and it is beginning to be appear in many sites around the world.

Why should I adopt an elePHPant?

If you developed a PHP related site, software product or provide PHP
related services, this will help you to make your users recognize your
work as a PHP friendly. But you really do not have to adopt an
elePHPant, unless you like it!!! If you don't like it, don't use it!

In the same "spirit" of PHP, the elePHPant is a free proposal, a funny alternative to official PHP logo. Feel FREE to adopt one if you want.

Can I use the elePHPant graphics freely?

Sure, elePHPant is licensed by me - El Roubio - as free software. Feel free to copy, modify and use it in your PHP related initiatives. You can transform the original graphics as you like, to adapt colors for example, or to integrate it in your logos, or to draw your own elePHPant as some Web sites already did using the idea of elePHPant without my drawing (www.phpquebec.com or www.phpcrawler.de for examples).

So FEEL FREE to use, change, transform or create your own elePHPants !!

It's in that spirit that I provide the elePHPant in different formats (psd, eps, ai, xcf), to give you all the freedom to adapt it.

You don't have to credit me if you use these graphics. Otherwise I will
be honored. It's my simple "gift" to PHP community ! ;)