PHP的logo为什么是大象

昨晚和@buptpatriot谈起了PHP的大象logo，我并不知道它的由来，于是就google了一下。

从知乎的这篇回答找到答案。

特此转载过来，让更过刚兴趣的朋友看到：

原文地址：Adopt an elePHPant
英文版权归原作者 EL ROUBIO 所有，中文翻译由 wctbok 独立完成，如若转载请注明。



Adopt an elePHPant[1] - your PHP mascott[2]
领养一头“大象” - 你的PHP吉祥物

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Many users told me that I should create a page in English to talk about
the elePHPant. Here it is :))!
许多用户都说我应该用英文写一篇文章来谈一下关于“大象”的事。这就是了:))！

I am inviting you to discover how and why the elePHPant is born…
我将邀你一同探寻“大象”是怎样及为何诞生的…

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How it was born the elePHPant?
“大象”是怎么诞生的？
====

In 1998, I decided to begin learning the PHP language. As a graphicsdesigner, I wanted to learn how to create dynamic pages for my personalweb site. While I was learning, I discovered the power of this languageand its applications. Naturally, I started to making drawings aboutPHP. So, I create the first elePHPant, illustrating the power of PHP…
1998 年，我决定开始学习 PHP语言。作为一个图形设计师，我想学习如何用动态语言为自己做一个个人网站。在我学习的过程当中，我发觉到这门语言和其应用的强大本领。自然地，我开始画关于 PHP 的画了。所以，我创造了第一头“大象”，用图片来说明PHP的强大…

>> See the first drawing of elephpant of 1999.
1999 年我第一幅”大象”的画

This picture was created for fun, just to send to a friend who begunlearning this language, like I did. The elePHPant was telling him “PHP,is stronger than you!”. This friend suggested that I propose thispicture to well known PHP french sites. To my surprise, theyimmediately adopted it! This picture has been used by many others. Somefrench PHP Web masters asked me to illustrate their site withelePHPants.
画这张图片只是为了好玩，只发给了我的一个朋友，他也像我一样在开始学习这门语言。“大象”可以告诉他：“PHP比你要强大的多！”。这个朋友建议 我将图片提交给一个法国知名的PHP站点。让我意想不到的是，他们立即采用了它。这张图片已经被许多人使用过了。而后一些法国的PHP站长要我用“大象” 为他们的站点做画。

So, that was the beginning of the elePHPant story. But you can ask me, “Why an elephant to symbolize PHP?”
如此，这就是“大象”故事的起因。但你会问：“为什么用大象作为 PHP 的象征？”

If you pay attention to the tree[3] letters P H P, you note that the set looks like an elephant (see the banner up page).
如果你留意 PHP 的三个字母，你会注意到这整个看起来就像是一头大象（看页面顶部的图片）。

After the first illustrations, a friend suggest me to create a“logo” with the elePHPant, with color and typography of the officiallogo.
在第一张插图之后，一个朋友建议我用”大象”做一个标识，用颜色和文字说明做一个正式的标识。

I proposed to the french PHP community making it available as freedownload. Some of web masters started using it in their sites. It istoday a logo for many french PHP sites. Even though it is not anofficial logo…a lot of french users adopted it.
我提交给那个法国PHP社区并使它可以免费下载。一些站长开始在自己的网站上使用它。这就是目前许多法国 PHP 站点使用的标识。即使它并不是官方的标识…但很多的法国用户还是接受了它。

In 2002, Rasmus Lerdorf (PHP “creator”) recognized the elePHPant asa possible alternative for PHP logo. A link to elePHPants appears nowin the logo downloading page of the official PHP site, www.php.net[4]
在 2002 年，Rasmus Lerdorf（PHP 创造者）认可了”大象”作为一个可选择的 PHP 标识。”大象”现在出现在了官方 PHP 站点的标识下载页面中，www.php.net。

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Why a PHP mascott?
为什么要有一个 PHP 的吉祥物？
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PHP is a popular Open Source product but it lacks of a strongbranding figure that helps people recognize PHP related initiatives[5],like Tux the penguin that is used to represent Linux relatedinitiatives. ElePHPant is meant to fill that void in the PHP community.
PHP 是一个流行的开源产品但是它缺乏一个强有力的品牌标识可以帮助人们辨识出 PHP 的相关产品，就像 TUX 企鹅那样被用于表明它是 Linux 的象征。”大象”的意义即是填补了 PHP 社区中的空白。

ElePHPant is now very popular in France and it is beginning to be appear in many sites around the world.
“大象”现在在法国十分流行并且开始出现在全世界许许多多的网站中。

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Why should I adopt an elePHPant?
为什么我要领养一头“大象”？
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If you developed a PHP related site, software product or provide PHPrelated services, this will help you to make your users recognize yourwork as a PHP friendly. But you really do not have to adopt anelePHPant, unless you like it!!! If you don’t like it, don’t use it!
如果你开发了一个 PHP 的相关网站、软件产品或者提供了 PHP 的相应服务的话，这可以帮助你的用户辨识出你的作品是和 PHP 息息相关的。但你真的不必一定要领养一头“大象”，除非你喜欢它！！！如果你不喜欢，就不要用了吧！

In the same “spirit” of PHP, the elePHPant is a free proposal, afunny alternative to official PHP logo. Feel FREE to adopt one if youwant.
同 PHP 的某些精神一样，“大象”也是一个自由的提议，一个有趣地可选择的官方 PHP 标识。想要就随便地拿去吧。

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Can I use the elePHPant graphics freely?
我能自由地使用“大象”的图片吗？
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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 colorsfor example, or to integrate it in your logos, or to draw your ownelePHPant as some Web sites already did using the idea of elePHPantwithout my drawing (www.phpquebec.com or www.phpcrawler.de for examples).
当然，“大象”之于我的授权 - El Roubio - 它就是免费的。自由地复制、修改和使用到你的 PHP相关产品中。你可以按照个人喜好转换原始图像，比如调整颜色，或者结合到你自己的标志中，又或者画你自己的“大象”就像一些已经使用了这个“大象” 创意而并非是我绘制的网站一样（举例：www.phpquebec.com 和 www.phpcrawler.de）。

So FEEL FREE to use, change, transform or create your own elePHPants !!
那么，自由的使用、改变、转换或者创造你自己的“大象”吧！！

It’s in that spirit that I provide the elePHPant in differentformats (psd, eps, ai, xcf), to give you all the freedom to adapt it.
作为以上精神的体现，我提供了不同格式（psd，eps，ai，xcf）的“大象”让你完完全全自由地领养它。

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 ! ;)
如果你使用了这些图像，你大可不必留下我的名字。若否，我将会十分荣幸。就当是我送给 PHP 社区的小小礼物吧！;)

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[1] elePHPant 在英语及法语中都是错误的拼写，这里应该是特指作者为 PHP 图片表达所创造的一个新词
[2] 英语中 mascot 意为吉祥物，法语拼写为 mascotte ，这里的 mascott 估计是作者的笔误
[3] tree 估计也是作者的笔误，实则应该为 three
[4] 现在官方标识下载页面已经找不到“大象”相关的标志了，具体原因不明
[5] related initiatives 可翻译为“相关立项”或者“相关首创计划”，这里根据上下问直接译为“相关产品”