Loading ...The Tea House, which is a cartoon-like theme featuring a little peasant hat-wearing fox, is one of the most used Gmail themes today. The little fox, which serves as the main character of the said Gmail theme, is also the proprietor of the Asian-inspired tea house. What makes the Tea House special though, is that its setting changes throughout the day.
Morning at the tea house
The first six phases of the Tea House, which appears from 5:01 am to 7:00 pm, all feature a morning setting. The color gradient used for the “sky” ranges from sky blue to sunny yellow. Throughout the morning, the little fox performs a series of tasks and activities: entertaining a bunny couple from 5:01 am to 7:00 am, picking a yellow flower from 7:01 am to 9:00 am, refilling a bird bath from 9:01 am to 11:00 am, sweeping a wooden floor from 11:01 am to 1:00 pm, pruning a potted bonsai from 1:01 pm to 3:00 pm, laughing with a friend monkey from 3:01 pm to 5:00 pm, and playing a bamboo flute from 5:01 pm to 7:00 pm.
Evening at the tea house
After 7:00 pm, darkness falls upon the tea house. The color gradient of the sky no longer ranges from sky blue to sunny yellow, but now from purplish dawn to midnight black. The sun is now giving way to let the black night show off the beauty of the silver moon and the twinkling stars. The tasks that the little fox performs also change: he is preparing a meal from 7:01 pm to 9:00 pm, lighting a lantern from 9:01 pm to 11:00 pm, scribbling a note from 11:01 pm to 1:00 am, tugging a blanket from 1:01 am to 3:00 am, and enjoying a dream from 3:01 am to 5:00 am. While the little fox is asleep though, the tea house makes room for several uninvited guests: a trio of checker-playing ghosts between 1:01 am and 3:00 am and a flower-eating turtle between 3:01 am and 5:00 am.
To view the other activities of the little fox, add the Tea House theme to your iGoogle page.
on Dec 19th, 2008 at 1:58 am
The teahouse theme is indeed wonderful.
But those ghosts aren’t playing checkers, they’re playing Go!
on Dec 23rd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I’ve loved little fox and the tea house theme (and google) since I first started using igoogle last year, but gmail is much more addictive now that our little friend has joined the fun.
I have no idea what the game ‘go!’ is it looks to me like the fox spirits are playing backgammon which seems appropriate for a tea house setting.
on Jan 2nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I just LOVE the Tea House theme of Gmail. It’s so well-made and so beautiful to look at, I appreciate Google for doing something so pretty and free for us! I got another friend to register on Gmail just because of Tea House.
on Jan 15th, 2009 at 2:33 am
I love the igoogle/gmail teahouse fox. He makes my start page a thousand times happier!
Re: the second comment, “Go” is a Japanese strategy game, played with black and white stones on a grid. The object is to control the majority of the board as possible, and to capture your opponent’s stones by surrounding them with your own. It’s a really old game, and competitive enough that people compete professionally and in tournaments.
on Mar 1st, 2009 at 7:41 am
I JUST LOVE THE TEAHOUSE THEME!!!! I’M ADDICTED TO IT- IT’S GORGEOUS!!!
on Jun 9th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I believe the fox and rabbits are practicing a Tai Chi-like exercise in the early morning. I too love this theme, it is entertaining and blissful.
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 5:36 am
I love the tea house theme! Are there any more available? I want to tea house up my world
on Jun 14th, 2009 at 10:05 am
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on Aug 18th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
The ghosts, are the fox’s ancestors.
I love the turtle that comes and eats the flower,only seem his a couple times.
He stays up really late doing calligraphy, must be the Tai Chi he does, doesn’t need as much sleep because he is so in tune.
This simple toy has brought me so much joy that I would probably cry if I got to thank the author.
on Oct 9th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Am trying to get this back on the Google Chrome version of my desktop, so far not successfully. Someone needs to tell them.