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Max the hedgehog

From Hogpedia, the free encyclopedia

This article documents company lore. It is written in the same register as the rest of Hogpedia, but the subject is an in-joke and not a product. For the products, see Category: Products.
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the discussion page. Do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

Max is the hedgehog mascot of PostHog. The PostHog glossary states that the mascot is a hedgehog called Max, designed by the company's graphic designer, Lottie.[1] The handbook's visual identity page describes him as a core part of the PostHog visual identity.[2]

Origin[edit]

The origin is documented in a 2021 blog post by Lottie Coxon, the designer.[4] The first PostHog logo was a hedgehog drawn by co-founder James Hawkins, which the post characterizes as resembling a hairy thumb. The redesign then passed through roughly eighteen variations, including square, sun, three-dimensional, pastel, working, and police hedgehog treatments.

The post's conclusion is quoted directly, because paraphrase weakens it: "We never should have strayed from our first and one true love: the hedgehog."[4]

Specification[edit]

The brand assets page sets out an illustration guide, which is unusually prescriptive for a company mascot.[3] It states that Max should always have a beige body with brown spines, arms, and legs, and that he should be outlined with a strong black monoline.

It also constrains the viewing angle. Max should always face left, right, or straight on.[3]

The rear view[edit]

The illustration guide gives a reason for the constraint on viewing angle. Max should not be drawn from behind, because he is self-conscious.[3]

This is the only known instance of a corporate brand guideline that cites the emotional state of the asset as the rationale for a technical restriction.[citation needed]

Costumes[edit]

Max appears in a large number of outfits. The press kit refers to "some of his favorite outfits" and lists variants including Builder Max, Professor Max, and Detective Max.[5] The @posthog/brand package distributes well over a hundred hedgehog illustrations as components, which is the mechanism by which the mascot appears throughout the PostHog website, including on this page.

Naming collision[edit]

"Max" also refers to PostHog AI, the company's AI assistant, which has been called Max AI.[6] The mascot and the assistant are distinct: one is an illustration, the other is a product.

The neutrality notice on this article relates to this section. Editors have not agreed which Max has the better claim to the name, and the matter is recorded on the discussion page.

Reuse[edit]

Max is not a free asset. The handbook's brand guidance restricts use of the hedgehog mascot in commercial or marketing materials without explicit permission, and states that AI-generated hedgehog art is disallowed.[3] Assets intended for community use, such as wallpapers, are the exception, and some are offered on the press page.[5]

A reader intending to use Max for anything should read the brand assets page first.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^PostHog glossary
  2. ^PostHog handbook, "Visual identity"
  3. ^PostHog handbook, brand assets and illustration guide
  4. ^PostHog blog, "How we designed the PostHog mascot"
  5. ^PostHog press kit
  6. ^PostHog AI
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This page was last modified on October 2, 2026.

Hogpedia is part of the posthog.com repository. Hedgehogs are PostHog brand assets – read the brand guide before reusing one.

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