Magic Cat Academy is a Halloween Google Doodle game that became so popular it spawned an entire trilogy. First released on October 30, 2016, it stars Momo — a black cat wizard student whose spellbook gets stolen by a mischievous ghost named Marshmallow. Armed with her magic wand, Momo must battle waves of ghosts to save her school and retrieve her book.
The gameplay is brilliantly simple: ghosts approach with symbols floating above their heads, and you defeat them by drawing those symbols on screen. Horizontal lines, vertical lines, V shapes, upside-down V shapes, and lightning bolts make up your spell arsenal. The lightning bolt is particularly satisfying — it zaps every ghost on screen at once. Occasionally a heart symbol appears, letting you restore lost health. You’ve got five lives per level, so accuracy matters as much as speed.
Developed by the Google Doodle team in partnership with artist Juliana Chen (who based Momo on her own real-life black cat), Magic Cat Academy features five levels set throughout the school: the library, cafeteria, classroom, gymnasium, and rooftop tower. Each level ends with a boss fight featuring a unique ghost — the Librarian Ghost, Cauldron Ghost, Planetarium Ghost, Coach Ghost, and finally Marshmallow himself, who uses Momo’s stolen spellbook to grow enormous. The difficulty ramps up steadily, with ghosts arriving faster and carrying longer symbol combinations.
The game proved so beloved that Google brought Momo back for Magic Cat Academy 2 in 2020 (set underwater) and Magic Cat Academy 3 in 2024 (set in space). The character even appears in the Doodle Champion Island Games. All three entries remain playable in Google’s Doodle archive.
How To Play Magic Cat Academy
Use your mouse or touchscreen to draw symbols matching those above each ghost’s head. Click and drag (or swipe on mobile) to create shapes anywhere on screen.
Simple spells include horizontal lines, vertical lines, and V shapes in both directions. The lightning bolt symbol damages all ghosts simultaneously — save it for crowded moments.
Watch for the heart symbol to appear occasionally. Drawing it restores one of your five lives.
Prioritise ghosts closest to Momo first. If they reach her, you lose a life. Draw smaller, confident strokes rather than large sweeping ones — the game recognises them faster.
Each level ends with a boss requiring multiple spell combinations. Stay calm, watch their attack patterns, and focus on accuracy over speed.