Did you know that “Googles.com” is not owned and operated by Google or Alphabet? In fact, the domain was apparently established in July 1997—two months before Google.com. This has proven troublesome over the years as the search engine homepage has only continued to grow while the children’s website at “Googles.com” languished. It looks like they’re trying to make another go of it.
Never fear, though, as this all seems to be aboveboard and legal. According to Googles.com, the two reached a settlement agreement that allows the children’s website, aimed mostly at preschoolers, to keep doing its own thing and prevents some aspects of children-related stuff from going on at Google. Exactly what that entails isn’t clear, but Googles.com seems adamant that it become a state-of-the-art online destination for kids. "So," a press release from the folks behind the website reads, "in an effort to achieve a greater children's audience and to protect and enforce its rights in commenting with the services to be provided to children, Googles.com is seeking equity partners/content providers for this important market."
A 2004 Wall Street Journal article notes that the website initially began as an online home for children’s characters—known as Googles—from the planet Goo. This seems to still be the case, as the only content currently available at "Googles.com" is two videos featuring brightly colored, four-eyed critters singing. The first covers pollution, while the second is more of a moral lesson about right and wrong. The lyrics are something else with the likes of "Why must colors fade from every tree?"
Something tells me that they're not going to see a whole lot of funding interest from outside parties.
