Sun's Duke Java blob

<p>Before the Java programming language became the subject of a heated court battle between Oracle and Google, it was just another software platform with a bizarre mascot. Sun Microsystems made Duke, a blobby, triangle-shaped character, the face of Java.</p> <p>Duke was designed by Joe Palrang, who later worked on Shrek for DreamWorks Animation, according to a tribute to the cartoon on Oracle's website. The Duke character itself was "open sourced" in 2006, legally allowing anyone to tinker with the design.</p>