This is a collection of the mascots of all the Ubuntu releases so far.
You may have noticed that every Ubuntu release has a version name and codename. The codename is composed of two words that start with the same letter. The first word is an adjective, and the other one is (usually) an (endangered) species.
These releases also have a mascot for those codenames. Ubuntu 22.04 is codenamed Jammy Jellyfish and hence the Jellyfish mascot on its wallpaper.
These ‘mascots’ were not always part of Ubuntu releases. The codenames were always there, but not the mascots.
The first-ever Ubuntu release was version 4.10 in October 2004. But it wasn’t until the Ubuntu 8.04 LTS ‘Hardy Heron’ release that you saw the associated mascot.
Earlier, I complied the list of the default wallpapers of all Ubuntu releases. In this one, you get to look at the mascots of those releases.
Let’s hop on to Ubuntu’s mascot journey in reverse chronological order.
Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish
Released on 21 April 2021.
Jammy means covered with, filled with, or resembling jam. Informally, it also means lucky.
Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being mobile.
Ubuntu 21.10 Impish Indri
Released on 14 October 2021.
Impish means showing no respect for somebody/something in a way that is amusing rather than serious.
The Indri, also called the babakoto, is one of the largest living lemurs, with a head-and-body length of about 64–72 cm and a weight of between 6 and 9.5 kg. It has a black and white coat and maintains an upright posture when climbing or clinging
Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo
Released on 22 April 2021.
Hirsute means hairy.
The hippopotamus, also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus. Its name comes from the ancient Greek for “river horse”.
Not sure if I have seen many hairy hippo.
Ubuntu 20.10 Groovy Gorilla
Released on 22 October 2020.
Groovy means fashionable and exciting.
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five subspecies.
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa
Released on 23 April 2020.
Focal means something providing a focus, important in other meaning.
The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is the largest carnivorous mammal on the island of Madagascar. They can reach nearly six feet in length, with half of that due to their long tails. They look like a cross between a cat, a dog, and a mongoose. Fossas have slender bodies, muscular limbs, and short, reddish-brown coats.
Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine
Released on 17 October 2019.
Eoan means relating to dawn or east.
The stoat or short-tailed weasel, also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine, or simply ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Ubuntu 19.04 Disco Dingo
Released on 18 April 2019.
Disco relates to the disco music and nightclubs.
The dingo is an ancient lineage of dog found in Australia. Its taxonomic classification is debated as indicated by the variety of scientific names presently applied in different publications.
Ubuntu 18.10 Cosmic Cuttlefish
Released on 18 October 2018.
Cosmic means something distinct from the earth,
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of buoyancy.
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS Bionic Beaver
Released on 26 April 2018.
Bionic means having or denoting an artificial, typically electromechanical, body part or parts.
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus Castor native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver and the Eurasian beaver. Beavers are the second-largest living rodents after the capybaras.
The British users found this release name particularly amusing.
Ubuntu 17.10 Artful Aardvark
Released on 19 October 2017.
Ubuntu switched back to GNOME by default with this release.
Artful means cleaver or carfty.
The aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Unlike most other insectivores, it has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food.
Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus
Released on 13 April 2017.
Last release to feature the Unity desktop.
Zesty means having a strong, pleasant, and somewhat spicy flavor.
Zapus is a genus of North American jumping mouse. It is the only genus whose members have the dental formula. Zapus are the only extant mammals aside from the Aye-aye with a total of 18 teeth.
Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak
Released on 13 October 2016.
‘Yakkety’ could mean a lot of things. While ‘yakking’ is an informal term for talking a lot, ‘yakkety’ could be an alternative spelling of ‘Yakety’ Sax — a well known pop-jazz musical instrument, says OMGUbuntu!.
Yak is a large domesticated wild ox with shaggy hair, humped shoulders, and large horns, used in Tibet as a pack animal and for its milk, meat, and hide.
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus
Released on 21 April 2016.
Xenial means something related to hospitality.
The Xerus has four subspecies – cape ground squirrel, striped ground squirrel, mountain ground squirrel, and unstriped ground squirrel. These animals are diurnal and are usually known to be herbivores in nature and usually eat nuts, roots, and seeds. However, sometimes they also eat eggs and other small animals.
Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf
Released on 22 October 2015.
Perhaps one of the rare Ubuntu releases that had a finctional character in its codename, unless you don’t consider warewolves fictional.
Wily means skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully.
The werewolves are mythical creatures that can hide their ears and tail. It is a human but also a wolf, and most people fear them because of how they look.
Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet
Released on 23 April 2015.
Vivid means intensely deep or bright..
The vervet monkey, or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term “vervet” is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus. The five distinct subspecies can be found mostly throughout Southern Africa, as well as some of the eastern countries.
Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn
Released on 23 October 2014.
Another Ubuntu release with a fictional animal in its release codename unless you consider Unicorns are real.
Utopic relates to utopia which is a fictional, impractical but ideal place.
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Trusty Tahr
Released on 17 April 2014.
Trusty means reliable or faithful.
Tahr is a goatlike mammal that inhabits cliffs and mountain slopes in Oman, southern India, and the Himalayas.
Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander
Released on 17 October 2013.
Saucy means expressing in a bold, lively, or spirited manner.
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela.
Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail
Released on 25 April 2013.
Raring means very enthusiastic and eager to do something.
The Ringtail is a cat-sized carnivore resembling a small fox with a long raccoonlike tail. Its bushy tail is flattened and nearly as long as the head and body, with alternating black and white rings. These animals are almost wholly nocturnal and spend the majority of the day sleeping in their dens.
Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal
Released on 18 October 2012.
Quantal means relating to a quantum or quanta, or to quantum theory.
Quetzals are strikingly colored birds in the trogon family. They are found in forests, especially in humid highlands, with the five species from the genus Pharomachrus being exclusively Neotropical, while a single species, the eared quetzal, Euptilotis neoxenus, is found in Mexico and very locally in the southernmost United States. Quetzals are fairly large (all over 32 cm or 13 inches long), slightly bigger than other trogon species. The resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala because of its vibrant colour.
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin
Released on 26 April 2012.
Precise means marked by exactness and accuracy of expression or detail.
Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota. The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises the four species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot
Released on 13 October 2011.
Onerice relates to dreams or dreaming.
The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (15.7–19.7 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 8 and 15.5 kg (17.6 and 34.2 lb). It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal
Released on 28 April 2011.
The first release to feature the Unity desktop.
Natty means smart and fashionable.
The narwhal, also known as a narwhale, is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large “tusk” from a protruding canine tooth. It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada and Russia. It is one of two living species of whale in the family Monodontidae, along with the beluga whale.
Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat
Released on 10 October 2010.
Maverick means an unorthodox or independent-minded person.
The meerkat or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern.
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Lucid Lynx
Released on 29 April 2010.
Lucid means easy to understand or bright.
A lynx is any of the four species within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx. The name lynx originated in Middle English via Latin from the Greek word λύγξ, derived from the Indo-European root leuk- in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes.
Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
Released on 29 October 2009.
Karmic means relating to or characteristic of karma.
The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats.
Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope
Released on 23 April 2009.
The first Ubuntu version I ever used.
Jaunty means having or expressing a lively, cheerful, and self-confident manner.
The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore, in the category of fearsome critters, described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word jackalope is a portmanteau of jackrabbit and antelope. Many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, are made with deer antlers.
Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex
Released on 30 October 2008.
Intrepid means fearless; adventurous.
An ibex is any of several species of wild goat, distinguished by the male’s large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa.
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Hardy Heron
Released on 24 April 2008.
The first Ubuntu release where the mascot appeared on its default wallpaper.
Hardy means capable of enduring difficult conditions; robust.
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds
Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon
Released on 18 October 2007.
Gusty is characterized by or blowing in gusts.
Gibbons are apes live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India to southern China and Indonesia
Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn
Released on 19 April 2007.
Feisty means small but determined. Fawn is a young deer in its first year.
Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Eft
Released on 26 October 2006.
Edgy means tense or nervous.
Eft is the terrestrial juvenile phase of newt. A newt is a type of salamander (a type of lizard). This newt has three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult.
So basically eft is a teenaged newt :)
Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake
Released on 1 June 2006.
Dapper means neat and trim in dress and appearance. Drake is a fully sexually mature adult male duck of any duck species.
Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger
Released on 12 October 2005.
Breezy means pleasantly windy.
Badgers are short-legged omnivores, united by their squat bodies, adapted for fossorial activity.
Ubuntu 5.04 Hoary Hedgehog
Released on 8 April 2005.
Hoary means greyish white.
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction.
Ubuntu 4.10 : Warty Warthog
Released on 20 October 2004.
This is where it all started.
Wart is a small, hard, benign growth on the skin, caused by a virus. Warty means someone full of warts.
The common warthog is a wild member of the pig family found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa.
Conclusion
Does this article add value to an Ubuntu user? Not technically, but it’s good to look back at the history. If you have been an Ubuntu user for years, it could trigger nostalgia.
Ubuntu 9.04 was the first time I tried Linux on a desktop. It was in late September of 2009 if I recall correctly. Only a few weeks later, my system was upgraded to Ubuntu 9.10. I used to spend time browing in Ubuntu Forum thoses days, exploring this new OS and learning new things.
So, did this article bring back some good old memories? Which was your first Ubuntu version? Share it in the comments.
