Dogcow

The Dogcow, also known as Clarus, is a hybrid creature consisting of a dog's head and forelegs combined with a cow's body and hindquarters. The Dogcow originated as a font character designed by Susan Kare for Apple Computer in the early days of Macintosh computing. Clarus was prominently featured in Apple's developer technical documentation, particularly regarding printing and page layout.

The Dogcow's distinctive "Moof!" sound is part of its lasting appeal and contributed significantly to its cult status within the Macintosh community and later, the broader internet culture. "Moof!" became a widely recognized and often-parodied onomatopoeia.

Clarus served as a whimsical yet helpful visual cue in Apple's documentation, helping developers understand concepts like page orientation and scaling. Its inclusion demonstrated Apple's commitment to user-friendly documentation, even in technical subjects.

While no longer as ubiquitous as in the early days of Macintosh, the Dogcow maintains a place in computing history as an early example of a mascot used to humanize technology. It represents a time when Apple actively cultivated a unique identity and fostered a strong relationship with its developer base through creative and memorable imagery. The Dogcow continues to be recognized and referenced by long-time Macintosh users and those familiar with the history of personal computing.