Hello World, Meet Wavy

From the nascent days of open-source software, open-source mascots managed to establish themselves as synonyms for their projects/products. Tux, the notorious Linux penguin, pathed the way, becoming a worldwide synonym for Linux. The early mascot mania lasted for over a decade, turning into a craze for “cute and cuddly animals,” as incisively captured by Business Insider. During those times, the mascot family proliferated as mascots made open-source projects more relatable. That has barely changed to this day; open-source mascots are second to none at personifying – and personalizing – tech products and communities around them.

So, it should come as no surprise that we thought RisingWave too deserves a mascot that will add an element of fun to the often-intimidating world of stream processing. Who could better – than a mascot – convey values we cherish across a global RisingWave community? Who could better create the relatedness with our product and strengthen the sense of belonging among our community members? In the end, who could better showcase that the RisingWave community is more than code?

Jumping on the RisingWave: How of the Process

Before we introduce Wavy (yep, that’s their name, and the headline was a bit of a spoiler), let us share a word or two on how we came to choose our mascot. From early on, we knew we wanted a mascot that could brace our efforts to create a welcoming and friendly community. As cliché as it is, cute animals did a great job in the past, so picking one was a no-brainer. That means that Mozilla-esque types of dreadful creatures, overly local symbolism, and cryptic messaging wouldn’t make the cut. Furthermore, we knew that our mascot should represent a visual embodiment of both our product and values, enabling our community members to connect beyond code. However, little did we know then that the process would go far beyond creating memorable visual branding; it became the process of reflecting and questioning our understanding of RisingWave and our vision for its community.

From the very beginning, we were committed to running the whole process following two guiding principles:

Participation: we wanted the process to be as participative and democratic as it could be. Poll after poll, countless rounds of voting, feedback following feedback, and people speaking for their dissenting proposals was anything but a detour. It certainly took more time, but it instilled a sense of ownership and strengthened the team’s cohesion. It seems as if deciding on a mascot was not as serious enough matter that it became serious enough for everyone to take part.

Continuous iterations: We welcomed each version of Wavy, understanding how it brings us a step closer to the one that will resonate to the fullest with our vision. The whole team was engaged in sharing their feedback and helping the final version come to life. Today, we are proud to present Wavy v.1, but will be as proud to see them further evolve. The rumor says that Wavy will replace their fascination with yoga with cycling and may seek a more routine-driven life instead of their nomadic escapades. We can’t wait to see how the RisingWave community will receive Wavy and help them change and grow over time.

How One Simple Squid Became Wavy

Our Wavy is growing fast. They are one curious squid who loves exploring other data communities, talking to developers, fixing bugs, and showing up at meetups. If you are wondering, Wavy is doing a lot of heavy lifting behind the scenes – they do some code reviews, comment on issues, and order pizza for our next meetup. They are brisk, cheerful spirit that inspires us every single day. And, yes, you will get a chance to meet Wavy – perhaps, that will happen sooner than you think. They may show up at our event booth, or you present themselves online with their quirky style.

After many rounds of feedback, iterations, and voting, our mascot was born. Now, it was time to name them. By now, you know that we named them Wavy. No underlying meaning, no cryptic initials (if one is wondering) – it simply resonated well with RisingWave, and we thought it was compelling. Some other name contenders toying with SLQ were rather persuasive, but Wavy charmed us all with its simplicity.

Even though we helped bring Wavy to life, many future choices will be their own. They are traveling a lot now but may soon settle down. They are one hell of a developer but also passionate about their hobbies – they love yoga, surfing (on RisingWave), traveling the world, and chilling at the beach. Wavy loves cooking pasta and hanging out with their fellow squids in their free time. As a matter of fact, as we speak, they chill on the beach and plot some cool new streaming database stuff.

What Now? Helping Wavy Grow Further

ur Wavy is growing fast. They are one curious squid who loves exploring other data communities, talking to developers, fixing bugs, and showing up at meetups. If you are wondering, Wavy is doing a lot of heavy lifting behind the scenes – they do some code reviews, comment on issues, and order pizza for our next meetup. They are brisk, cheerful spirit that inspires us every single day. And, yes, you will get a chance to meet Wavy – perhaps, that will happen sooner than you think. They may show up at our event booth, or you present themselves online with their quirky style.

But before that happens, we would love to see how the community will see Wavy grow. We want Wavy to embody and celebrate our differences and our different understanding of where our community should be heading. What should Wavy wear, or what programming languages should they learn? Should they have a last name? What do they think of MDS and cloud costs, or what other mascots they should be hanging out with? If you want to share your ideas or merely check how Wavy is doing, reach out to us on socials (LinkedIn or Twitter) or join our Slack community. Can’t wait to see what Wavy will turn into!