🎶 Happy birthday dear Astro 🎶…and the real story behind all the Salesforce characters!

Happy birthday, little one! Can’t believe you’re 4. Hi, I’m Domenique and I’m also known as Astro’s mom. I’m the mother (or guardian) of all the Salesforce characters and I’m often asked how it all came to be. So, let me tell you the story.

Domenique Sillett Buxton
The Trailblazer
7 min readApr 27, 2018

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Once upon a time, a shooting star landed on a cloud. Inside that cloud was the magical world of Salesforce. Also known as Salesforcelandia ✨ …OK, now for the real story…

In 2014, I was the sole creative on the Developer Marketing team and for the second year in a row, it was time to get ready for Developer Week. The mobile app, Salesforce1, was epic and had just launched at Dreamforce. For our event, we began to prep an early MTV-inspired moon landing concept, and wanted to award a t-shirt to all our developers who participated. But it couldn’t just be any t-shirt — it had to be a “cool t-shirt.”

Astronaut

I probably made about 15 different cool t-shirts for this event and heard lots of “NOs”. Then our office manager (and secret illustrator) Rochelle Truong created an astronaut. She nailed it, the community loved the shirt, and the rest is history. The following year, Samantha Ready gave Astro their last name: Nomical.

People often ask about Astro’s gender. Astro is gender non-binary as we wanted them to be an illustration of our equality values. Astro is what Salesforce is all about: empowering you to build amazing things and to be a part of our amazing Trailblazer Community. Astro is always welcoming and saving a place for you. And if you want, you can be Astro yourself.

Thanks to our developers, Rochelle, and outer space, now you know Astro’s origin story. With the help of Amanda Cheung, Lily Glass and the rest of my Trailhead design dream team along with Chris Duarte, Sarah Franklin, and Colin Fleming, Astro has made great friends and has embarked on amazing adventures.

Just some of the many adventures of Astro

We work passionately to create Astro & Friends and build out their stories. And you, the Salesforce Ohana, have embraced this idea — this unique personification of the “feels” we get when engaging with each other, wholeheartedly.

Astro & Friends came to life in response to what was happening in the wider community and are not only there for each other — but for you, too. Whether you’re learning new skills, connecting with each other, or giving back to the community, Astro & Friends are there to high five you every step of the way.

So, they DO live in the epic world of Salesforcelandia, and explore it by land, by sea, and by air. It’s truly a magical place. Come with us on this journey and let me introduce you to them all!

Happy birthday Astro!

Firstly, Astro…well, it is their 4th birthday after all! Astro is your guide to Salesforce. They can be anything they dream to be. That’s why they wear different costumes. Astro empowers all Trailblazers to achieve their dreams. You can be anything you want to be, just like Astro.

Astro Nomical

Astro Nomical

  • Pronouns: They/Them
  • Representative of community and inclusion
  • Faithful, happy, curious, adventurous, inspiring, joyful, caring, versatile

At the very beginning…

But before Astro, there was SaaSy, the original Salesforce mascot. Created by Bruce Campbell in the early days of Salesforce, SaaSy challenged the status quo of what enterprise software was meant to be. You can still find SaaSy at our events, coming up with fun ways to bring our customers together and cheering them on. Energetic and cheerful, SaaSy believes that work can be fun. You can bring the SaaSy spirit to work with you, too!

SaaSy

SaaSy

  • Pronouns: They/Them
  • Representative of The End of Software
  • Charming, social, extroverted, encouraging, rebel, independent

Now, meet the rest of the family

Codey believes you can build anything, with clicks or code. He inspires makers everywhere to build great things. You can build anything on the Salesforce platform, with Codey as your guide.

Codey

Codey the Bear

  • Pronouns: He/Him
  • Representative of Developers
  • Playful, charming, outgoing, bold, fearless, unexpected

Cloudy is an admin and a leader. She builds innovative apps in the cloud. Cloudy believes in your unlimited potential. You can be a leader and achieve success with Salesforce.

Cloudy

Cloudy the Goat

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Representative of Admins
  • Trustworthy, sure-footed, helpful, confident, encouraging, unique

Appy is the ultimate connector. A mover and shaker, she uses her network to get things done. Appy inspires entrepreneurs everywhere to live their dreams and to turn someday into today — the day you can start your business. Appy believes in you.

Appy

Appy the Bobcat

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Given name: Appygail
  • Representative of Partners
  • Motivated, innovative, entrepreneurial

Einstein loves solving problems. He always wants to know more. Einstein believes everyone can unlock their inner genius. You can analyze and make smart predictions, just like Einstein.

Einstein

Einstein

  • Pronouns: He/Him
  • Representative of Einstein Product and AI Innovation at Salesforce
  • Smart, nimble, innovative, knowledgeable, forward-thinking

Blaze is your trusted guide on the trail. Blaze knows that the path ahead sometimes contains pitfalls and obstacles. She knows the way forward. With Blaze at your side, you can stay on the path to customer success.

Blaze

Blaze the Wolf

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Representative of Cloud Services
  • Faithful, nurturing, keen, intelligent, instinctive, intuitive

Earnie loves to learn and earn on Trailhead. Earnie wants to collect all the badges! She wants to be the first badger to achieve Ranger status. She believes you should never stop learning. You can learn new skills on Trailhead, with Earnie at your side.

Earnie

Earnie the Badger

  • Pronouns: She/Her
  • Given name: Earnestina
  • Representative of Trailblazing Badgers
  • Passionate, motivated, aspirational, participatory

Hootie helps you gain new skills, earn credentials, and pursue your career. Knowledgeable and trusted, Hootie believes that with preparation and study, your career can reach new heights. Soar like Hootie and land the job of your dreams.

Hootie

Hootie McOwlface the Owl

  • Pronouns: He/Him
  • Representative of skills and credentials
  • Knowledgeable, trusted, bookish, academic, prepared

Meta leaves a path for Trailblazers to follow, sharing best practices and lessons learned. A trusted architect, Meta always thinks big. His antlers branch like code lines in a directory tree. You can be an architect, too, just like Meta.

Meta

Meta the Moose

  • Pronouns: He/Him
  • Nickname: Chocolate
  • Representative of Engineering and Architecture
    Strong, stable, trusted, knowledgeable

Koa the Dog makes time for work and play. He loves everyone. Koa’s greatest joy is to bring a smile to everyone’s face. He is your faithful companion. With your Ohana by your side, you can do what you love.

Koa

Koa the Dog

  • Pronouns: He/Him
  • Title: Chief Love Officer
  • Representative of love and longevity
    Resourceful, reliable, spirited, playful, kind, adoring

We welcome you, with Trailheart

So, that’s the whole family! And like any family, we’re loud and boisterous and a little quirky but always surrounded by love and acceptance. Trailhead at its core has always been intentional, positive, and true to its roots. The passion for what we do and who we do it for is called Trailheart.

Just hanging out with Cloudy!

Join our family, get inspired by our Trailblazers, and inspire others along the way. Start your journey, or continue to chase badges (just like Earnie!), at trailhead.salesforce.com.

Rights of ALBERT EINSTEIN are used with permission of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Represented exclusively by Greenlight.

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Domenique Sillett Buxton
The Trailblazer

Vice President, Executive Creative Director, Trailhead at Salesforce. Astro’s Mom. Lover of all things design-y. Views are my own.