As Amazon recovers from its recent fumble when an Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage caused error pages to pop up across its own site and many others that rely on its cloud services, some unexpected stars have emerged from the rubble. Those visiting Amazon’s 404 error pages are greeted not by the usual dull error message, but by a rotating gallery of company employee-owned dogs such as Martini and Milly. The “Dogs of Amazon” feature adds a dose of charm and levity to what would otherwise be a frustrating experience.
The quirky idea originated with Amazon’s user experience team and has evolved over the past two decades. The photos showcase real pets belonging to Amazon employees, though they represent only a tiny fraction of the more than 15,000 dogs registered to accompany their owners to Amazon offices. Amazon’s dog-friendly culture is well known: reception desks keep treats on hand, some offices have paw-washing stations, and others even feature on-site dog parks. With such a robust pet registry, the UX team already had the perfect ingredients for a clever, feel-good error page—though exactly who conceived the idea, and how it caught on, remains a company mystery.
But Amazon isn’t alone in turning website glitches into moments of delight. Across industries, companies are embracing creative error page design as a way to soothe user frustration, reinforce brand personality and even generate goodwill in moments when technology falters.
Slack’s soothing “glitch” walk
At Slack, landing on a 404 error page feels more like stumbling into a peaceful video game. The screen transports users to a serene, Animal Crossing–style countryside where chickens and pigs roam freely and butterflies flit by under a bright blue sky. The scene is gently interactive: moving your cursor left or right shifts your view of the landscape. But the real charm lies in its backstory.
Before founding Slack, Stewart Butterfield created a now-defunct online game called Glitch. When Slack’s designers crafted their error page, they decided to pay homage to Butterfield’s early work. The text at the top—“There’s been a glitch…”—and the visual style both nod to that original game, creating a clever bit of company lore hidden in plain sight.
Disney’s animated comfort
The Walt Disney Company takes a more literal approach to easing user frustration by letting its beloved characters deliver the bad news.
On D23, Disney’s official fan club site, visitors who hit a dead link are greeted by Wreck-It Ralph’s Vanellope von Schweetz flashing her signature big-eyed smile. Over at the Pixar Animation Studios website, the 404 page features Anxiety, the jittery new character from Inside Out 2, whose stressed-out expression mirrors what users might feel—while her familiar charm helps lighten the mood.
Each version captures Disney’s knack for storytelling, even in something as mundane as a broken web link.
Mailchimp’s endearing search
Marketing platform Mailchimp takes a minimalist but memorable route. Its 404 page features an animated horse-like creature poking its head into a hole, searching endlessly for something it can’t find.
The simple looping GIF, which subtly shifts colors, reflects the company’s quirky brand voice while “building rapport with customers who run into trouble when trying to use your website,” as Mailchimp explained in a blog post. It’s both whimsical and self-aware—exactly what users expect from the brand’s offbeat personality.
NPR welcomes the lost
At National Public Radio (NPR), the 404 page offers comfort in the form of curiosity. Instead of a sterile “page not found” message, visitors see this note: “It’s a shame that your page is lost, but at least it’s in good company; stick around to browse through NPR stories about lost people, places and things that still haven’t turned up.”
Below that message sits a collage of links to stories about history’s most famous disappearances, from Amelia Earhart and Jimmy Hoffa to the eternal mystery of lost luggage at the airport. It’s clever, on-brand and perfectly NPR.
Kualo’s Space-Invader showdown
Not to be outdone, the small U.K.-based web hosting company Kualo has turned its error page into an interactive arcade game. When users land there, they can play a mini “Space Invaders”–style shooter, blasting away aliens while waiting for their intended page to load.
If you score over 1,000 points, Kualo will reward you with a discount on its hosting services. This is a playful way to showcase the company’s tech-savvy culture and transform a moment of inconvenience into one of engagement.
