A special friend is dropping by for Wikipedia’s 25th birthday

Lots of surprises and no spoilers ahead

Guess who is about to join the Wikipedia party! The most playful and curious reading companion around. On 16 February, they will be popping up on certain Wikipedia pages and across a few languages when you turn on Birthday mode. So, keep your eyes peeled and get ready to celebrate 25 years of the backbone of knowledge on the internet.

Visit the Wikipedia Portal for a sneak peek

Do not miss this party

Sign up for updates on all things birthday and we will let you know when the Birthday mode is available to activate this fun-loving mascot.

For more details, see our Privacy statement.

Curious about this special friend?

We have been getting a lot of questions about the mascot and Birthday mode. Here is what to know.

It is a limited-time feature that makes celebrating Wikipedia’s 25th birthday even more fun. Switch on the toggle and the birthday mascot will start showing up on your Wikipedia.

It will be available on some Wikipedias starting on 16 February 2026.

For now, this feature will only be available on a few language Wikipedias: Betawi, Czech, French, Gorontalo, Indonesian, Italian, Madurese, Sicilian, Thai, Vietnamese and Wayuu. Sign up to be notified as it rolls out to other Wikipedias.

Add your email to the list and we will send you a message when Birthday mode is up and running.

Simply slide the Birthday mode toggle on the bottom of the page to the off position and the mascot will disappear.

Yes, we can make that happen. There is still time for different language communities to decide that they want to add this celebratory feature to their Wikipedia. Leave us a message on the project talk page and we will be in touch.

Wikipedia is a quarter of a century old

Wikipedia officially turned 25 on 15 January 2026. With over 65 million articles across 300+ languages, Wikipedia informs everything from day-to-day life and AI chatbots to journalism and trivia wins.

Join the festivities