google buddies
turning google's everyday apps into desk buddies
overview
The opportunity. Google is bringing Gemini into the apps people use every day. A launch that makes AI feel familiar and fun can turn that moment into new Gemini users.
What I built. Google Buddies, a collectible blind-box line of Google's apps as desk-sized characters, with the full launch plan behind it: insight, positioning, a two-wave go-to-market tied to Gemini sign-ups, and success metrics.
Where it stands. Series 01 went live here on October 23, 2026, so you can open one yourself at the top of this page. Results from the LinkedIn launch will be added here.
students already have a go-to ai
Google is building Gemini into Search, Gmail, Docs, and more, and a new generation is learning to use AI at school and at work. At the same time, the apps people grew up with, like Gmail, YouTube, and Chrome, carry years of familiarity and goodwill. But most students already have an AI tool they reach for, so Gemini's challenge isn't awareness. It's giving them a reason to try something new, and Google's own apps are that reason.
People adopt new technology faster when it arrives through something they already love. Google's most familiar apps can be a friendly front door to Gemini.
built for the first ai generation
The target is Gen Z and young millennials: students and early-career professionals who are adopting AI the fastest and who already collect blind boxes like Smiski and Pop Mart. The figures are designed to sit on a desk, right where they study and work.
- Uses AI for coursework every week
- Eligible for Google's student Gemini offer
- Gets a free box for signing up
- Building AI into a first job
- Keeps the figures as desk buddies
- Buys more to complete the set
For students and early-career professionals growing up with AI, Google Buddies is a collectible line of Google's everyday apps that adds a human experience to a world of AI. Unlike typical tech merch, each box is tied to trying Gemini and made to live on the desk where the work happens.
two series, one story
Series 01, The Classics, turns five everyday apps into characters, drawn from the flat icons people grew up with, plus a secret rare. Series 02, The New Kids, brings in the AI tools with today's icons. Side by side, the two series tell the story of Google moving from the apps people know to the AI they're learning now.
They're called Buddies because that's the job: little desk companions that keep you company while you study and work. The box still says I'm Feeling Lucky, a nod to one of Google's oldest buttons, because opening a blind box asks for the same small leap of faith.
The New Kids are built around what each tool does, like the assistant, the researcher, and the artist, so a new name doesn't retire a character.
Every series is a dated edition. When an icon changes, the earlier figure becomes the vintage version, which makes it more collectible.
The figures also work as desk buddies and as a sign-up perk, so their value doesn't depend on the trend.
a launch built around gemini sign-ups
The main channel is Google's student Gemini offer: sign up and get a free blind box. That ties every figure to the business goal. Google I/O and VidCon create the unboxing moments, and the Google Store is where collectors complete the set. The Classics launch for the holidays, and The New Kids follow at I/O in May, with the newest AI launch as the secret rare.
- HolidaysSeries 01, The ClassicsA free box with the student Gemini offer, and a gift on the Google Store
- May, Google I/OSeries 02, The New KidsThe AI tools, revealed on stage, with the newest launch as the secret rare
The same odds as the box at the top of this page.
- Each classic
- 19%about 1 in 5
- Secret rare
- 6%about 1 in 17
The first asset of the Series 01 drop, made for social. The box tears open, then the Buddies settle in on a sunny desk, right where they're meant to live. I animated it in Blender and used AI to create the desk scene.
measuring the launch
The figures are the hook, and Gemini adoption is the goal. Each stage of the funnel gets one metric, a way to measure it, and a goal. Student sign-ups through the offer is the one that decides whether the launch worked.
Unboxing posts and views from I/O and VidCon
Students who sign up through the blind box offer
Students who keep using Gemini once the free period ends
Repeat Google Store purchases to finish the collection
Brand lift: how approachable people find Google's AI, from a before and after brand survey. The goal is a higher score after people meet the Buddies.
This is a spec concept, so the insight is still a hypothesis. I'd validate it with a student survey and pilot the perk at a few campuses before scaling. A survey shows intent, not behavior, so the pilot is what proves it. If you're a student, take the 2-minute survey.
from concept to something you can hold
I started from AI-generated 3D drafts, then rebuilt the app-icon heads by hand in Blender and matched every logo to Google's brand colors. The figures on this page are real 3D models with a soft vinyl finish, so the pitch shows the product instead of describing it.
Unofficial fan concept. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. Google, Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, Drive, and Maps are trademarks of Google LLC.