Today's Adorable Google Doodle Is Celebrating All Things Boba

Though it's not a traditionally American drink, bubble tea, or "boba," has become a huge sensation in the States, per Food & Wine. The drink's origins are somewhat murky, but the culture became popular in the 1980s in Taiwan. Tapioca balls were added to the bottom of a glass, then topped with shaved ice and milk tea. Eventually, the options expanded to use fruit boba, flavored powders, and syrups.

There are a few different types of bubble tea, per The Spruce Eats. Milk tea combines black tea and milk, adding flavored tapioca pearls. Thai tea is a little thicker, using sweetened condensed milk with black tea and pearls. Fruit tea blends refreshing fruit-based teas with flavored boba pearls. And taro bubble tea purées taro roots and blends them into the tea, adding an extra flavor element.

To celebrate this drink's popularity, Google has released a mini-game with today's doodle.

The Jan. 30 Google homepage features an animated dog pouring boba pearls, tea, and syrup into a glass. When you click the "play" button on the bottom right side of the animation, a mini game opens. A short animation plays, showing the dog setting up his cart to sell bubble tea to other animal customers. In the game, you fulfill boba tea orders for customers by tapping and holding the screen, filling each ingredient to the designated line.

Once the line has been reached, it will glow, indicating that it's time to stop. The target line gets thinner as the game goes on, making hitting the target just a little more difficult with each round. If you've successfully completed an order, you will earn stars based on how well you fulfilled it. You can earn a maximum of three stars per order, for a grand total of 15.

To play the mini game, head to the Google homepage.