Elián González
publication date: Monday, February 19, 2018 (part of Winter 2018)
category: 
Controversy
clue: This turn-of-the-century Cuban refugee is not a boy any more.
difficulty: easy
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Samir Mehta, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, Matthew Preston, Richard Slominsky, Erik Bates, and Lori Lancaster
trivia: Two and a half years into the game, Elián González (2000) became the first of a major trend that would sustain the game thereafter: People from current events in the news, who were previously not famous and did not come from traditional fields of fame like television, movies, music, sports, and so on. In fact, González was the very first person to become a goo who was not already famous and well-known before the game started. In the early days there were countless famous people to turn into goos, but over the years, the game thoroughly mined the traditional celebrities and came to rely more and more on overnight newsmakers like González, ordinary people who made headlines just long enough to support a single goo before they were mostly forgotten. –Scott Hardie
20th Anniversary: Celebrity Goo Game has changed a lot since it began in February 1998. The twenty goos in this theme recreate the twenty most impactful and game-changing goos from the last two decades, in order of their influence. Happy anniversary, goo game!Similar Goos
Butch Patrick
This child actor had monstrous success, but remained less well-known than his on-screen parents. Go »
Long John Silver
If you wanted to open a fast-food restaurant named for this fictional pirate, copyright lawyers would say that you don't have a leg to stand on. Go »
Shia LaBeouf
He's too "shy" to talk about how starring in Eagle Eye transformed his career. Go »
Takehito Koyasu
This imperial performer carries the burden of white hot popularity. Go »
Ben Carson
This brainy doctor was nominated for HUD secretary soon after his Republican rival became president. Go »
