A Field Guide to Elephpants

Detailing the attributes, habitats, and variations of the Elephpas hypertextus.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Species Description
  3. Variations
  4. Related Species
  5. Credits
  6. Index
  7. Colophon

Introduction

The PHP elephpant, Elephpas hypertextus, was first sketched by Vincent Pontier in 1998. For ten years it was only seen in drawings. The plush elephpant was first sighted in 2007. Since that time a large number of variations have been observed in the wild.

Species Description

Appearance

The typical elephpant stands 6" (15cm) tall, with ears that extend above its head, and 8" (20cm) long including its frayed tail. The more rare “jumbo” variety stands 14" (26cm) tall and 20" (51cm) long. It is otherwise identical in appearance to the smaller animals. Due to the larger resources needed to procure a jumbo variety, and the increased space requirements for keeping one, they are considerably more rare. Not all colors have been seen in the jumbo size.

The first populations of elephants seen in the wild were blue. This included both the main species and the first few sub-species. Eventually other populations in have been identified in most primary and secondary colors, and new colors are seen in the wild on a increasingly frequent basis.

All elephpants have the PHP logo on the obverse (left) side.

Identification

Most elephpants can be identified by color and decoration alone. Sometimes identical animals have been produced over multiple generations. The rear tag is the best way of distinguishing between generations.

Sub-species of Elephpas hypertextus are generally identified by different markings on the reverse (right) side. Within the subspecies there may be variations of color.

Habitat

The elephpant's natural habitat is an work environment, and it is equally comfortable in both “corporate” and “home” offices. They tend to form herds on desks or shelves. Children and pets are often highly attracted to the animals. While the elephpant does not mind the attention of these groups, it can be detrimental to the animals' well-being and elephpant owners often keep the groups separated for their protection, unless they have a large herd.

Distribution

There is no known limit the the elephpant's range. They have been sighted on multiple continents and may be present in all areas of human habitation.

Variations

A total of 60 populations have been identified across Elephpas hypertextus and 39 subspecies. Sub-species are listed by date of first appearance. Within each group may be multiple populations which differ by color.

| Oracle | Zend | Zend Framework | PHP|Architect | PHP Women | SunshinePHP | Laravel | AmsterdamPHP | ConFoo | Gold | HaPHPy | Symfony | Shopware | Globalis | Dutch PHP Conference | Rainbow | Roave | AFUP | CakePHP | Heroku | Magento | PHP Yorkshire | PHP Roundtable | PHP Vegas | PHP Classes | PHPBenelux | PHPers Summit | PhpStorm | Darkmira PHP Tour | CHECK24 | Linux for PHP | PHPCon Poland | PHPCON Japan | Upinside | phpday | SiteGround | Exakat | Kellerkinder | Mollie |

by Drew McLellan
by Drew McLellan
by Damien Seguy
Sponsor
Nexen / Alter Way
Reverse Design
blank

The original plush elephpant. At least six generations were produced over several years by the French company Nexen, which became part of Alter Way.

The third photo shows the first elephpant ever produced. A prototype for the first generation, it has the php logo in a different color. This elephpant is affectionately known as trisaïeul.

by Rob Allen
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
Alter Way
Reverse Design
blank

This was the second color released. It was produced alongside the sixth generation of "original" blue elephpants.

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
OpenGoodies
Reverse Design
blank

The newest edition of the classic blue elephpant. It is produced by OpenGoodies, which succeeded Nexen/Alter Way as the official producer of elephpants.

This edition is distinguished from previous generations by the OpenGoodies logo on the rear tag.

by Marco Rieger
by Marco Rieger
Sponsor
OpenGoodies
Reverse Design
blank

The newest edition of the pink elephpant. It is produced by OpenGoodies, which succeeded Nexen/Alter Way as the official producer of elephpants.

This edition is distinguished from the previous edition by the OpenGoodies logo on the rear tag.

Oracle

Elephpas hypertextus oraculi (2008)

by Anna Filina
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
Oracle Corporation
Reverse Design
Oracle logo

Given to attendees at the 2008 PHP Quebec Conference (now ConFoo), and also to the attendees of the 2008 php|tek Conference (now php[tek]).

Zend

Elephpas hypertextus zeevandi (2010)

by Aki Ojalehto
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
Zend Technologies
Reverse Design
Zend logo

First distributed to attendees at ZendCon 2010.

by Rob Allen
by Philip Sharp
Name
Chili
Sponsor
Zend Technologies
Reverse Design
Zend logo

First distributed to attendees at ZendCon 2013.

by Adam Culp
Sponsor
Zend Technologies
Reverse Design
Zend logo

This elephpant was originally intended for attendees at ZendCon 2014. It is based on the Apigility logo which shows a flying elephpant with a rocket strapped to its back. Because it was thought that the elephpant looked like it was firing a rocket, the Z-Ray elephpant was designed and released instead. Only the prototype of this design was created. It used a lighter color blue than previous elephpants.

by Philip Sharp
by Philip Sharp
Sponsor
Zend Technologies
Reverse Design
Zend logo

This elephpant was given away to attendees at ZendCon 2014. It wears a pair of glasses with red spirals that represent the Z-Ray debugging tool for Zend Server.

by Mark Baker
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
Zend Technologies
Reverse Design
Zend logo

Also described as turquoise. This elephpant was given away to attendees at ZendCon 2015.

The PHP logo on the obverse has a "7" included to signify the release of PHP 7.

by Aki Ojalehto
by Aki Ojalehto
Name
ElPHPis
Sponsor
Zend Technologies
Reverse Design
Zend logo

This elephpant was given away to attendees at ZendCon 2016.

The name ElPHPis was given by the community because of his trademark sideburns.

by Rogue Wave Software
by Rogue Wave Software
Sponsor
Rogue Wave Software
Reverse Design
Rogue Wave/Zend logo

This elephpant was given away to attendees at ZendCon 2017.

The denim material makes this the first widely-distributed elephpant with non-plush fur.

This is the first Zend-branded elephpant to use the Rogue Wave logo.

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Zoe
Sponsor
Rogue Wave Software
Reverse Design
Rogue Wave and Zend logos

This elephpant was given away to attendees at ZendCon 2018.

Zend Framework

Elephpas hypertextus zendframeworki (2012)

by Ben Scholzen
by Ben Scholzen
Sponsor
Zend Technologies, Inc.
Reverse Design
Zend Framework 2 logo

The green color matches the Zend Framework logo.

PHP|Architect

Elephpas hypertextus architecti (2014)

by Rob Allen
by Philip Sharp
Name
Archie
Sponsor
php[architect]
Reverse Design
php[architect] logo

Originally made available through a Kickstarter campaign. The orange color matches the php[architect] logo.

PHP Women

Elephpas hypertextus feminae (2014)

by Rob Allen
by Philip Sharp
Name
Umoja
Sponsor
PHP Women
Reverse Design
PHP Women logo

Originally available through a Kickstarter campaign, this elephpant can now be purchased directly from the php[architect] swag store. The color matches the PHP Women logo. Profits from the sale of this elephpant support PHP Women's programs including conference scholarships.

SunshinePHP

Elephpas hypertextus solis (2014)

by Rob Allen
by Philip Sharp
Name
Sonny
Sponsor
Sunshine PHP Conference, Zend Technologies
Reverse Design
Sunshine PHP logo, Zend logo

The elephpant was originally designed for the Sunshine PHP Conference. It was given out to attendees at the conference in 2014 and 2015.

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Sonny
Sponsor
Sunshine PHP Conference, Nexmo
Reverse Design
Sunshine PHP logo, Nexmo logo

The elephpant is only available to attendees of the Sunshine PHP Conference. It has a slightly more orange hue than the previous Sunshine PHP elephpant, and the Nexmo logo replaces the Zend logo.

Laravel

Elephpas hypertextus laraveli (2014)

by Thibault Taillandier
by Thibault Taillandier
Name
Liona
Sponsor
Laravel community
Reverse Design
Laravel logo

This elephpant was produced via a Kickstarter campaign. The color matches the Laravel logo.

AmsterdamPHP

Elephpas hypertextus amstelodami (2014)

by Rob Allen
by Marco Rieger
Name
MurPHPy
Sponsor
AmsterdamPHP
Reverse Design
AmsterdamPHP logo

This elephpant was produced via a Kickstarter campaign. The colors match the AmsterdamPHP logo, which in turn match the flag and coat of arms of the City of Amsterdam.

The name MurPHPy was kindly given by the organizers of AmsterdamPHP after facing a multitude of troubles during the packing and shipping stages of the campaign.

Currently it's available for sale from the the AmsterdamPHP Shop.

ConFoo

Elephpas hypertextus fooianum (2015)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Phil Snow
Sponsor
ConFoo
Reverse Design
ConFoo.ca web techno conference

This elephpant was released in 2016 and is available for sale from ConFoo.

Name
Le Foo du Roi "The Joker"
Sponsor
ConFoo
Reverse Design
ConFoo.ca logo

This elephpant was announced in 2020 to celebrate the release of PHP 8. It features a jester's hat on its head, giving to the name Le Foo du Roi meaning "The King's Foo" in French. It can be purchased in the ConFoo store

Gold

Elephpas hypertextus auri (2015)

by Adam Culp
Sponsor
OpenGoodies
Reverse Design
20 Years 1995-2015

A true rarity, only one of these elephpants exists in the wild. It was designed by OpenGoodies to celebrate PHP's 20th anniversary on June 8, 2015. After developing the prototype the project was canceled because final production would not be ready in time. The single prototype was put up for auction on Ebay on the day of the anniversary. The auction was won by Zend Technologies co-founder Zeev Suraski.

This is the first elephpant that does not have plush fur. It has a circular disc on the right-rear leg showing the "Official ElePHPant" logo.

This elephpant has its own Twitter account at @gelephpant.

HaPHPy

Elephpas hypertextus natalis (2015)

.
Sponsor
Association Française des Utilisateurs de PHP (AFUP) - French PHP User Group
Reverse Design
blank

This one-of-a-kind elephpant was handcrafted by V. Fanzutti. It has been offered to the Kenya PHP User Group for their contribution for the 20th HaPHPy Birthday.

Symfony

Elephpas hypertextus symphoniae (2015)

by Mark Baker
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
Sensio Labs
Reverse Design
Symfony Framework 10 Years logo

This elephpant was designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Symfony Framework. Only 300 were available and were sold exclusively at SymfonyCon 2015 in Paris.

by Benjamin Jonard
by Benjamin Jonard
Sponsor
Sensio Labs
Reverse Design
Symfony Framework logo

This elephpant has been sold at Symfony-related events starting in 2016.

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
Sensio Labs
Reverse Design
Symfony Framework logo

This elephpant has been sold at Symfony-related events starting in 2019.

by Stephane Rathgeber
by Stephane Rathgeber
Sponsor
Sensio Labs
Reverse Design
Symfony Framework 15 Years logo

This elephpant was designed to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Symfony Framework. This elephpant is currently available for sale at shop.symfony.com.

Shopware

Elephpas hypertextus shopwari (2016)

by Dennis Mader
by Aki Ojalehto
Name
Cody Blou
Sponsor
shopware AG
Reverse Design
shopware Logo

This elephant will be distributed primarily to Shopware contributors and community members. Cody has its own Twitter account at @CodyBlou.

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Cody Vuelette
Sponsor
shopware AG
Reverse Design
shopware Logo

Announced at Shopware Community Day 2019 this celebrates the launch of Shopware 6 and has a Shopware 6 tag on its left ear

Globalis

Elephpas hypertextus globi (2016)

by Armel Fauveau
by Armel Fauveau
Name
Echo
Sponsor
GLOBALIS
Reverse Design
GLOBALIS logo

Only 400 small and 5 jumbo-size of these elePHPants were made, and will be delivered primarily to GLOBALIS team members, partners, friends, and customers.

His name, Echo, refers to the PHP echo command and also as tribute to Echo, the famous elephant matriarch who was studied for over 30 years.

Dutch PHP Conference

Elephpas hypertextus batavici (2016)

by Mark Baker
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
ibuildings
Reverse Design
ibuildings Dutch PHP Conference, with the DPC logo

This elephpant was given away to attendees at the 2016 Dutch PHP Conference.

Rainbow

Elephpas hypertextus arcus (2016)

by Mark Baker
by Mark Baker
Name
Enfys
Sponsor
PHPDiversity
Reverse Design
blank

Inspired by a photoshopped image by a Slovenian PHP developer called Peter Kokot. This elephpant was produced via a Kickstarter campaign.

The name Enfys (pronounced EN-vis) is a Welsh name meaning "rainbow", that is gender-neutral; and Enfys is intended to promote Diversity within the worldwide PHP development community regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, nationality, disability, religion and technology.

Roave

Elephpas hypertextus roavorum (2017)

by James Titcumb
by James Titcumb
Name
Chloe
Sponsor
Roave
Reverse Design
Roave logo

AFUP

Elephpas hypertextus gallici (2017)

by Aki Ojalehto
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
Association Française des Utilisateurs de PHP (AFUP) - French PHP User Group
Reverse Design
AFUP logo

This elephpant was released in 2017 at AFUP's annual Forum PHP conference.

CakePHP

Elephpas hypertextus pistrini (2017)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
Cake Development Corporation
Reverse Design
CakeDC logo

This elephpant is available to CakeDC's clients and at events that CakeDC sponsors.

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
CakePHP
Reverse Design
CakeFest logo

Announced at CakeFest 2017, these are available to CakeFest attendees.

by Mark Baker
by Mark Baker
Sponsor
CakePHP
Reverse Design
CakePHP logo
by Mark Baker
by Mark Baker
Sponsor
CakePHP
Reverse Design
Cake Software Foundation logo

Heroku

Elephpas hypertextus herokai (2017)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Hero
Sponsor
Heroku
Reverse Design
Heroku logo with starburst

This elephpant has cloud-shaped toenails.

Magento

Elephpas hypertextus mercatoris (2017)

by Aki Ojalehto
by Aki Ojalehto
Sponsor
Magento
Reverse Design
Magento logo

PHP Yorkshire

Elephpas hypertextus eboraci (2018)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Jorvik
Sponsor
PHP Yorkshire conference
Reverse Design
PHP Yorkshire logo

This elephpant was available at the 2018 PHP Yorkshire conference

PHP Roundtable

Elephpas hypertextus circumensi (2018)

by Sammy Kaye Powers
by Sammy Kaye Powers
Name
Pollita (in honor of Sara Golemon)
Sponsor
PHP Roundtable Podcast
Reverse Design
PHP Roundtable logo

The first and only elephpant created for a PHP Podcast. It's fuzzier than standard elephpants and sports nifty logo nails and white feet pads. Only 500 were made.

This elephpant is currently available for sale at PHPRoundtable.com.

PHP Vegas

Elephpas hypertextus fabulosum (2018)

by Joshua Ray Copeland
by Joshua Ray Copeland
Sponsor
PHPVegas
Reverse Design
PHP Vegas Text Logo

This elephpant was designed by the PHP Vegas user group. An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign was run produce it. However, it did not hit its funding target and the prototype remains the only one of this subspecies in existence.

The name PHPlashy is an ode to the lights and glamor of Las Vegas, NV.

PHP Classes

Elephpas hypertextus decuriae (2019)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
PHP Classes
Reverse Design
Blank

Available for sale on the PHP Classes website. First officially-licensed elePHPant to have sewn eyes

Sponsor
PHP Classes
Reverse Design
Blank

Available for sale on the PHP Classes website.

PHPBenelux

Elephpas hypertextus belgerlandemburgi (2019)

by Mark Baker
by Mark Baker
Name
Luxy
Sponsor
PHPBenelux Conference
Reverse Design
PHPBenelux Conference logo/"10 years of conferences"

This elephpant was released at the 10th PHP Benelux conference in 2019

PHPers Summit

Elephpas hypertextus summum (2019)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
PHPers Summit
Reverse Design
phpers logo

This elePHPant was available to attendees of the PHPers Summit 2019

PhpStorm

Elephpas hypertextus gagatescerebellum (2019)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
JetBrains
Reverse Design
PhpStorm logo

Provided to the most active participants in the PhpStorm Early Access Program

Darkmira PHP Tour

Elephpas hypertextus unitas (2019)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Unity
Sponsor
Darkmira Tour PHP
Reverse Design
Darkmira Tour PHP logo

This elePHPant was produced by a Brasilian manufacturer and was available to attendees of the Darkmira PHP Tour.

CHECK24

Elephpas hypertextus collationis (2019)

by CHECK24
by CHECK24
Name
JePHPry
Sponsor
CHECK24
Reverse Design
CHECK24 logo

This elephant will be distributed primarily to CHECK24 and community members. JePHPry has its own Twitter account at @CHECK24_JePHPry.

Linux for PHP

Elephpas hypertextus linuxi (2019)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Cloudy
Sponsor
Linux for PHP
Reverse Design
Linux for PHP logo

PHPCon Poland

Elephpas hypertextus polski (2019)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Janusz
Sponsor
PHPCon Poland
Reverse Design
PHPCon Poland logo

This elePHPant was available to attendees of PHPCon Poland 2019

PHPCON Japan

Elephpas hypertextus colloquiumiapona (2019)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
PHPCON Japan
Reverse Design
PHPCON Japan

Commemorating the 20th PHP conference, this elePHPant was available to attendees of PHP Conference Japan 2019.

Upinside

Elephpas hypertextus intusautemi (2020)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
Upinside
Reverse Design
Upinside logo

This elePHPant is available from the Upinside School

phpday

Elephpas hypertextus diei (2020)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Aida
Sponsor
GrUSP/phpday
Reverse Design
phpday logo

This elephpant is green, white, and red like the flag of Italy and was produced by GrUSP and is available for sale in the GrUSP store

SiteGround

Elephpas hypertextus hostinkus (2020)

by Yavor Mihaylov
by Yavor Mihaylov
Name
Groundy
Sponsor
SiteGround
Reverse Design
SiteGround Logo

Created by the website hosting company SiteGround to celebrate the release of PHP 8 with PHP enthusiasts. His uniqueness comes with different-colored feet and ears. SiteGround uses him to giving away for PHP quizzes, raffles, and events.

Exakat

Elephpas hypertextus duodeviginti (2020)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
Exakat
Reverse Design
Blank

To celebrate the PHP8.0 release the original creators of the elePHPant, Damien Seguy and Vincent Pontier created inPHPinity, a Community Driven Elephpant. It can be purchased here

Kellerkinder

Elephpas hypertextus fundamentumliberos (2021)

by doppynl
by doppynl
Sponsor
Kellerkinder
Reverse Design
Kellerkinder logo

The elephpant has so far only been gifted by Kellerkinder to community members and give aways via their twitter account @kellerkinderDE.

Mollie

Elephpas hypertextus expensum (2021)

by Noriko Yamamoto
by Noriko Yamamoto
Sponsor
Mollie
Reverse Design
Mollie logo

Related Species

Several animals that are similar to elephpants, but cannot be catogorized as such, have recently been seen in the wild.

| PHP Woolly Mammoth | pHackyderm |

PHP Woolly Mammoth

Elephpas mammuthus (2015)

by Tim Bond
by Tim Bond
Name
Molly
Sponsor
Peter Meth / Softer Software
Reverse Design
True North PHP logo

This animal has smaller ears than an elephpant, and tusks. The body of the mammoth consists of both plush fur and longer hair.

The woolly mammoth was produced as a giveaway for the 2015 TrueNorth PHP Conference in Toronto, Canada. A Kickstarter campaign was held to help fund the giveaways.

Due to a production delay, the mammoths were not available in time for the conference and were instead distributed to TrueNorth PHP attendees primarily through meetups in and around Toronto. The mammoths were released and started shipping to Kickstarter backers in January 2016.

pHackyderm

Elephpas cyberneticus (2015)

by Adam Culp
by Tim Bond
Sponsor
Facebook
Reverse Design
Hack logo

Produced by the HHVM/Hack team at Facebook. It has not been released publicly. It has a HHVM logo in place of the PHP logo. Three prototypes have been produced followed by 500 which will not be available for sale.

The pHackyderm has several features that distinguish it from an elephpant including an articulated trunk, robotic eye, and boots.

The first prototype is named Steve, the second Steph, and the third and final Steven. All have the HHVM plate on the obverse side. The initial prototype has a blank reverse, but the later protypes and production pHackyderms will have the Hack logo and text on the reverse side.

Credits

Editor

Founding Editor

Contributors

Contributions to the content, style, and structure of this publication are welcome. To contribute, please see the CONTRIBUTING.md file in the GitHub Repository.

Index

By Color and Year

Black

Blue

Brown

Gold

Gray

Green

Multicolored

Orange

Pink

Purple

Red

Silver

Teal

White

Yellow

Colophon

This publication is typeset in Old Standard TT, which is loaded from Google Fonts.

The text of this publication is written in Markdown. The layout is written in HTML and and styled with CSS. The sources are stored in a Git repository and hosted at GitHub. Final assembly is performed using Sculpin. The publication is hosted on GitHub Pages.