Ancient Web: Zippyweb Let a Corgi Run a 1997 Personal Website

Part of the Ancient Web Collection.

The webmaster of Zippyweb is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi who has strong opinions about treats, the UPS truck and the indignity of being dressed for Halloween.

Visit Zippyweb.

The homepage carries a copyright line beginning in 1997 and introduces Zippy, whose American Kennel Club name is Caleb's First Event. The site has a scrapbook, an art gallery, home movies, Corgi information, a journal and a peculiar collection of interactive diversions. A dog who can play drums and make pie is not a conventional source of software design ideas, but this personal website never aimed for convention.

Many pages are presented in Zippy's own voice. That fictional editorial conceit turns everyday events—snowstorms, visits from other animals, a family holiday—into serialized comedy.

When visitors wrote directly to the dog

The journal archive contains individual monthly entries going back to February 2002 and continuing into 2011. A 2009 entry complains about winter weather and shows a fallen tree blocking the driveway. Another discusses a wall full of bees; a December 2010 holiday post makes a joke about trying to greet everyone without starting an argument.

The extensive correspondence page captures a miniature community. Readers sent notes about their own Corgis from across North America, sometimes writing as the animals themselves. Zippy replied in character, offering cheerful advice, exaggerated enthusiasm and the occasional joke about snacks. Entries from 2011 and 2012 reveal visitors returning after years of reading.

The interactive parts are another Web-history exhibit. The coloring book lets readers play with images. A paper doll invites visitors to dress up the dog, while the homepage points to jigsaw puzzles, memory games and desktop wallpaper. Some old interactions may depend on obsolete browser behavior, but the pages still document an era when a personal site could be a small entertainment studio.

The About section keeps the site attached to its canine subject rather than trying to turn every visitor into a customer. Merchandise links exist, yet the enduring material is the archive of stories, photos, humor and correspondence.

Long before social platforms encouraged pets to accumulate followers, Zippy had a homepage and a devoted mailbox. The Internet has changed; the corgi's personality has not needed an upgrade.

Browse Zippy's journal and its dated archive.

Part of the Ancient Web Collection.