Why a Turtle?

Thoughts from Seymour

The Turtle was chosen for a convergence of several reasons:

1. 1. We needed something with which one could identify, so an animal seemed the best choice,
      although we considered all manner of vehicles
   2. We thought animals that were slow and deliberate would be best—no hares, grasshoppers,
      birds, etc.
   3. We wanted something pleasant and not scary
      There aren’t many animals that qualify up to this point, but there is another factor.
   4. In early work on cybernetics, a British neurologist named Grey Walter had made an artificial
      animal that caused a stir in the 1950s by finding its way around, plugging itself into an electric
      socket when its batteries were low, etc. He called his construction a Tortoise.
      So the Turtle honored and continued Grey Walter’s contribution. It was a step forward in that his
      was not programmable—it just did what it did by instinct (so to speak)—and of course his was not
      made with an educational intent.
      One German translator of Logo maintained that children there hated turtles and decided to make it
      a hedgehog. I found it hard to believe. But I think that children’s liking for turtles is confirmed by
      experience, including the Ninjas.
      Thanks, Seymour!