Later this year, The Pirate Bay will celebrate its 15th anniversary.
That’s quite an achievement for any website, but for a pirate site in particular, considering the mounting legal pressures.
The Pirate Bay is not an ordinary torrent site though. It has a long and rich history that, unfortunately, appears to be fading.
Up until a few years ago TPB frequently replaced its iconic pirate ship logo to send a message. These ‘doodles’ were pieces of art in their own right and have long been documented on a dedicated page.
However, when we checked this page a few days ago we noticed that the doodles only go back to 2014. This means that dozens of earlier pieces are missing, which is a crying shame. So, for the sake of history, we tracked down whatever we could and have published our findings here.
Below is our overview of TPB’s doodles in chronological order. Many of the titles are the ones TPB used. The list doesn’t include ‘ads’ or artist promos, which sometimes were just videos, but otherwise, it should be relatively complete.
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The Grand Theft Bay – 24 October, 2004
The first doodle we’re aware of, celebrating the pirated release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The Pear Bay – 20 August, 2005
The Pirate Bay renamed itself to The Pear Bay when Apple x86 OS leaked. The logo linked to a search which led visitors directly to it.
Merry Christmas! – 24 December, 2005
The Pirate Bay wished all its visitors a Merry Christmas. As far as we know, this doodle hasn’t been reused in recent years.
Nice game got released – 24 October, 2005
Another pirate game release, Quake 4 this time. It’s clear what some of the TPB people were up to in their spare time.
The Pirat eBay – 21 January, 2006
The Pirate Bay crew auctioned a night of partying to the highest bidder on eBay. “Since we have a lot of bandwidth usage and low salaries for working on our site, we’ve decided to go prostitutes on you and sell ourselves for money,” they wrote.
The Police Bay – 3 June, 2006
Three days after The Pirate Bay was raided for the first time, the site returned with their cannons aimed at Hollywood.
The Phoenix Bay – 18 June, 2006
With The Pirate Bay raid still dominating the news and political agenda, the site’s operator added another message. “Like the phoenix bird, The Pirate Bay will always rise again.”
Ladonia Invasion – 25 July, 2006
The Piratebay openly supported the ‘war’ against Ladonia, a micronation located in the south of Sweden. Yet another political statement.
Steal This Film – 21 August, 2006
Pirate Bay promoting the release of the documentary Steal This Film featuring its co-founders Brokep and Anakata, directed by Jamie King.
Party Aftermath – 8 October, 2006
The Pirate Bay crew had a party but didn’t bother to clean up. Instead, they put a photo of the aftermath on the frontpage.
Pirate Bay + WESC = <3 - 11 October, 2006
A pirate site teaming up with the street fashion company “WeSC”? While brands shun these links nowadays, it was all possible ten years ago.
Talk Like a Pirate Day – 19 September, 2006
Good pirates talk like pirates. The Pirate Bay honored the yearly Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Pirates of Sealand – 12 January, 2007
Perhaps one of the most ambitious plans. The Pirate Bay raised money to buy Sealand and form their own state. That never happened, the money was reportedly spent on trees instead.
OscarTorrents – 12 February, 2007
TPB promoting the OscarTorrents.com website where archivists were collecting pirated links to the latest Oscar-nominated movies.
North Korea – 01 April, 2007
Pirate Bay moves to North Korea on April 1st, causing a lot of confusion as well as some outrage.
Eurovisiontorrents.com – 08 May, 2007
Following the success of Oscartorrents, the Swedes from The Pirate Bay now promote a similar initiative for the Eurovision song contest.
Kopimi Klothing – 25 May, 2007
Every self-respecting website has its own merchandise store. The Pirate Bay had Kopimi clothing..
Pirates of the internets – 27 May, 2007
When the Hollywood blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End leaked online, TPB made a fitting doodle linking to pirated copies.
The Torrent of Fire – 19 July, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leaked online, and Pirate Bay’s logo leaked as well.
The Evergreen Terrace Bay – 27 July, 2007
The Pirate Bay celebrates the release of the first illegal CAM version of “The Simpsons Movie” with a new logo and t-shirt design.
Walk the plank – 21 September, 2007
The internal emails of anti-piracy outfit MediaDefender went public, revealing that they were indeed behind the video site MiiVi, and more…
The Global Icon Bay – 20 November, 2007
TPB praising its own achievement of becoming a global icon. “We won the ‘global icon’ award from the copy lobby!”
We need help! – 17 January, 2008
The Pirate Bay posted its version of a job application.
We wouldn’t steal – 19 January, 2008
When the European Parliament coalition Greens EFA launched a pro-filesharing campaign named “I Wouldn’t Steal,” Pirate Bay showed their support.
Jubilee – 31 January, 2008
“10 million peers. 1 million torrents. 2.5 million registered users. 100 blog entries. Jubilee!”
Valentines day – 14 February, 2008
The Pirate Bay shows off its romantic side.
Manifesta7 – 22 February, 2008
The Pirate Bay and the Bureau of Piracy start their journey throughout Europe, that will reach its climax at the art festival Manifesta.
Sinai – 01 April, 2008
The Pirate Bay keeps its arch-nemesis IFPI updated on the site’s whereabouts.
All your cops – 18 April, 2008
Hollywood buys police officers, according to The Pirate Bay, which is embroiled in a legal battle in Sweden.
Liberty Bay – 25 April, 2008
The Pirate Bay celebrates the release of Grand Theft Auto IV.
Tiamo Dirty Thirty – 27 April, 2008
Pirate Bay co-founder Fredrik Neij turned thirty. “All your NES are belong to him…”
Pirate Independence Day – 31 May, 2008
Two years after the Pirate Bay raid, the notorious torrent site declares May 31 “Pirate Independence Day.” “Today we celebrate that we’re united in our efforts. Keep on seeding!”
The Pirate Bat – 25 July, 2008
The Pirate Bay renamed the site into “The Pirate Bat“ and put up a new logo that links to a search for “The Dark Knight”.
The Beijing Bay – 17 August, 2008
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked the Swedish Minister of Justice for “assistance” to remove Olympic torrents from TPB. The site was not impressed.
The Beatrice Bay – 20 August, 2008
A few days later TPB asks its users to send their love to Beatrice Ask, the Swedish Minister of Justice at the time.
International Anti Piracy Day – 21 October, 2008
When Microsoft announced Global Anti-Piracy Day, The Pirate Bay blamed Bill Gates.
25 Million Peers – 15 November, 2008
Pirate Bay’s tracker served 25 million concurrent peers, which is more than the entire populations of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark combined.
Our fifth birthday! – 25 November, 2008
While the TPB-crew wasn’t certain that it was the right date (the tenth anniversary was in August), they celebrated anyway.
Happy new 1984! – 31 December, 2008
Ending 2008 with a call to action. “2009 turns out to be the year of surveillance. We need to fight that!”
Wasted can’t be wrong – 09 January, 2009
Leading up to the TPB-trial, the site reminds people that MPAA lawyer Monique Wadsted previously represented the Church of Scientology in a copyright case.
King Kong downloads – 18 February, 2009
The legendary King Kong defense.
Warner Brothers buys The Pirate Bay – 01 April, 2009
Pirate Bay announced that they settled their differences with Warner Bros. The largest BitTorrent tracker sold out to Hollywood, on April 1st.
Embassy of Piracy – 07 May, 2009
An important art institution is born, according to TPB. The Embassy of Piracy.
We are all The Pirate Bay – 15 May, 2009
Swedish artist Montt Mardié thought that The Pirate Bay and its following could use an anthem, so he decided to write one.
EU Election – 27 May, 2009
TPB reminded its visitors to vote in the EU election.
The Persian Bay – 17 June, 2009
TPB transformed into The Persian Bay and asked users to help out Iran. “Get your tunnelz goin!”
Hack the system – 07 December, 2010
Inspired by the French football legend Cantona, TPB calls in its users to ban Paypal after it kicked out Wikileaks.
Pirate Bay’s sysop decided to put his Christmas wishlist on the frontpage. “Freedom for all information!”
Blackout 4 hungary – 05 January, 2011
At a time where several new laws were being drafted to restrict people’s freedoms, TPB joined the Blackout for Hungary.
Protest time – 13 January, 2011
More protest.
TPB wins auction site – 01 April, 2011
The Pirate Bay reuses an old doodle on April first. “TPB will use the tools from eBay to make a better rating system for torrents. Then TPB will divide eBay up into smaller companies and sell to the highest bidders. We see no use for an auction site since most stuff is available for free.”
The Research Bay – 18 April, 2011
The Pirate Bay launched a new survey in collaboration with the Cybernorms research group at Sweden’s Lund University. As part of a sociology study, they hoped to find out more about people’s motivations to share.
You do not recieve freedom, you take it. – 09 May, 2011
In a slightly edited version of Winston Churchill’s “this was their finest hour” speech, replacing Nazi-Germany with MAFIAA, The Pirate Bay team declares war on Internet censorship advocates.
Happy birthday! – 15 September, 2011
The Pirate Bay turns eight years old. This time it’s in September. “One world one love!””
Belgian Beer, Belgian Blue, Belgian Block Belgian Bay – 04 October, 2011
The Belgian Anti-Piracy Federation succeeds in their quest to force two ISPs to block the famous torrent site. The next day TPB adds a new domain to bypass the blockade.
A new tool to avoid censorship! – 05 December, 2011
The Pirate Bay promotes Mafiaafire, an unblocking too that helps users to access blocked sites.
The Promo Bay! – 15 January, 2012
TPB launched The Promo Bay, an initiative to help artists expose their work to the world through the site’s frontpage. We won’t publish all promo’s here, just the first one below.
The Promo Bay proudly presents Paulo Coelho – 28 January, 2012
The first promo is none other than best selling author Paulo Coelho, who’s a file-sharing enthusiast and a supporter of The Pirate Bay.
Fight! – 01 February, 2012
Sweden’s Supreme Court announced that it would not grant an appeal in the Pirate Bay case. This means that the prison sentences and millions of dollars in fines previously handed out to the four defendants remained in place.
The Magnet Bay! – 28 February, 2012
TPB removed all popular torrent files and made the switch to magnet links. This was needed to make the site future proof, the team announced.
Suprbay! – 06 March, 2012
The Pirate Bay runs a promo for its own forum, Suprbay.
Greece sells airspace to TPB – 01 April, 2012
TPB memo on April 1st: “Political power in Athens, Greece, today signed an agreement with representatives for The Pirate Bay (TPB) about exclusive usage of the Greek airspace at 8000-9000ft.”
The Pirate Bay proudly promotes Dan Bull! – 23 April, 2012
With the track “Sharing is Caring”, Dan Bull tried to break into the UK and international singles charts with the help of a free Internet and BitTorrent. Not without success.
ACT NOW! – 03 May, 2012
The censorship button doodle was reused when The Pirate Bay was blocked in the UK.
The Hydra Bay! – 07 May, 2012
The Pirate Bay renamed itself The Hydra Bay today, linking it to PirateReverse.info, an information site that was dedicated to helping ‘blocked people’ to access TPB. The operator of this site was later arrested.
Act against Acta! – 07 June, 2012
TPB joins the widespread demonstrations against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
ACTA IS DEAD – 04 July, 2012
In a 478 to 39 vote, the European Parliament decided to reject ACTA.
Sign for Peter! – 14 July, 2012
Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde submitted an emotional pardon plea to the Swedish authorities, hoping to avoid his prison sentence.
The Olympic Bay – 27 July, 2012
The TPB crew created another doodle for their friends at the International Olympic Committee, promoting their bi-annual gathering.
9th birthday – 14 September, 2012
Time flies. But at least it’s September again.
The Pirate Bay Party! – 09 October, 2012
The Pirate Bay is already looking forward to its tenth anniversary, which they will celebrate in August…
The Pirate Bay moves to the cloud – 17 October, 2012
From this day, The Pirate Bay will serve its users from several cloud hosting providers scattered around the world.
Support Richard from being extradited to the US! – 25 October, 2012
TPB backs efforts to prevent UK student Richard O’Dwyer from being extradited to the United States. Whether it helped or not, the extradition was stopped.
Merry a’rr a’rr! – 24 December, 2012
TPB encouraged its users to sent cards, letters, and gifts to co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm, who was in prison at the time.
TPB AFK – 08 February, 2013
TPB-AFK, the documentary about The Pirate Bay and its founders, was released. The film follows the lives of the three Pirate Bay founders during their trials in Sweden.
The Hydra Bay – 25 February, 2013
New Provider For TPB – 04 March, 2013
The Pirate Bay moves the site to North Korea. For real. Or?
Fuck yeah! – 01 April, 2013
After its failed experiment in North Korea, The Pirate Bay has set course to the land of the free, the United States of America.
Take a look at what these guys are doing! – 08 July, 2013
The Pirate Bay promotes a charity project.
PARTY PARTY PARTY! – 18 July, 2013
The 10 year anniversary is coming, and TPB is hosting a massive party!
Happy birthday! – 10 August, 2013
The Pirate Bay celebrates its 10th anniversary, in August.
ThePirateBay.PE – 13 December, 2013
Facing legal uncertainty, The Pirate Bay moves to a .PE domain name, the fifth domain is 2013.
Let him at least read some books for fucks sake! – 07 January, 2014
No books? More than 100,000 signatures on a petition to improve the prison circumstances of Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm, appear to have had an effect.
Free the pirates! – 10 July, 2014
TPB encouraged its users to write to the site’s imprisoned co-founders. This doodle reappeared several times.
The Pirate Bay rises again – 29 January, 2015
The Pirate Bay reappears after more than a month of downtime, following a raid on the Nacka station, a nuclear-proof datacenter built into a mountain complex.
New domain names – 19 May, 2015
The Pirate Bay adds several new domain names. A new and improved hydra was born, although it didn’t last very long.
Raid? – 21 September, 2015
Raid? What raid? The Pirate Bay denies that they were critically hit by the police raid a few months earlier.
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