About
We’re acorny bunch, but we love what we do
Who is Ship It Squirrel?
He’s furry. He’s cute but determined. And he’s often times wearing a fedora.
He’s “Ship It” Squirrel. But why?
Every hero needs an origin story
“Ship It” Squirrel originally started at Github:
At GitHub, we ship a lot. We think it’s so important to ship often, we even have a shipping mascot (ship it squirrel) and matching emoji:
Developers often use the phrase "ship it" in software development to indicate that a feature or a set of changes is ready to be deployed or released. The "Ship It" Squirrel on GitHub adds a touch of whimsy to this process and has become a beloved part of the GitHub user experience for many developers.
Okay, but why a squirrel?
In May 2009 the “crasher squirrel” photo was taken by Melissa and Jackson Brandts while visiting Lake Minnewanka at Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.
The couple submitted the photo to the National Geographic weekly “Your Shot” contest and the photobombing squirrel quickly spread virally across newspapers and was memed across the internet.
Someone in the GitHub community who was passionate about shipping and familiar with the photobombing squirrel had the idea to make the cute little critter say “Ship it”.
Obviously the squirrel had something important to say and what phrase could be more important?
The updated photo was shared as a tweet and also went viral.
Thus, the Ship It Squirrel was born.
Okay, but why ShipItSquirrel.com?
👋 Hey there, my name’s Adam Howell, and – this may sound stupid, but – as an indie developer, designer, and entrepreneuer, Ship It Squirrel has always spoken to me.
Squirrels are small, quick, and scrappy, known for their dogged resourcefulness and determination. They’re the underdog of the animal kingdom!
And if you want to make an app, an online community, motivate and focus your team to ship a huge new project – whatever! – you’re an underdog, too. Because you’re going to have to ship it into an internet of ever growing complexity.
So, I started Ship It Squirrel because my team and I can help you ship. It’s always been one of my super powers and I never get tired of it. Reach out today and let's talk about your project. Squirrels unite!
