Open-source browser extension that brings a lighthearted twist to news about Putin and Russia, replacing his images with adorable puppy pictures.
Putler is a free, open-source browser extension that replaces photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin on web pages with photos of cute puppies. It was created by Portuguese developer João Quartin in 2022 amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The motivation behind Putler is to bring some humor and cuteness to news about Putin and Russia's aggression towards Ukraine. By substituting Putin's face with adorable puppies, the extension aims to poke fun at the authoritarian leader and make headlines less depressing or intimidating.
Technically, Putler works by using image recognition to identify Putin's face in photos on news sites, social media pages, and other web pages you visit. When it detects Putin, it overlays his image with a randomly selected puppy photo. The extension has a database of over 500 puppy pics to choose from.
In the weeks after its launch, Putler gained widespread popularity. It was featured in mainstream news outlets like NPR, Washington Post, and CBS News. Many people installed it as a small act of defiance against the Russian regime and to lift their spirits even briefly. The developer released Putler for both Chrome and Firefox browsers.
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