Google Uploads YouTube Pumpkin Video, Then Removes It

UPDATE: The Halloween doodle Google accidentally uploaded a few days early is now live. Check out the timelapse video here.

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Google may have experienced an "Oops!" moment after uploading a Halloween video to YouTube, then suddenly taking it down.

The video seems to be related to an upcoming Halloween doodle that hasn't been published yet.

YouTube sent an email notification to subscribers of Google's official channel Friday. The message read "Google just uploaded a video: 'Pumpkins ALL v5 FINAL'".

But clicking on the link took users to a page with the unexpected message "This video has been removed by the user. Sorry about that."

Google+ user Steve Pirk said he took a peek at the video during the short time it was up.

"W00t! Google built a pumpkin doodle on one of the lawns," Pirk wrote. "Here is an awesome time-lapse video of the work everyone did."

A thumbnail for the video indeed shows a group of about six people standing around giant pumpkins on top of hay stacks, but the video isn't viewable as of Saturday morning.

What happened here? Did Google hit "publish" too early then quickly take the video down? Did someone upload version five instead of version six?"

If it was an official Google video and not a hacker's prank, all signs point to a Halloween doodle that should appear by Monday. It's unclear whether the video itself is the doodle or just a behind-the-scenes video. Stay tuned.

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