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Logo

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Description #

Logo is a simple, educational programming language known for its turtle graphics, where users control a turtle to draw shapes and patterns. Designed to introduce children to programming and mathematical thinking, Logo emphasizes creativity and exploration in a visual environment.

History #

Logo was created in 1967 by Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert, and Cynthia Solomon. It was heavily influenced by LISP and designed as a learning tool to teach logical thinking and computer programming to children.

One of Logo’s greatest contributions was the introduction of turtle graphics, where an on-screen turtle can be moved with commands like FORWARD and RIGHT, drawing as it moves.

Logo inspired future educational tools such as Scratch and remains a pioneer in visual and constructivist approaches to learning programming.

Hello World Code #

Logo doesn’t traditionally use console output. A visual “Hello World” might look like this in MSWLogo or Turtle Academy:

PRINT "Hello, World!

Or in turtle graphics form:

REPEAT 4 [FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90]

(This draws a square — a classic turtle graphics activity.)

How to Run #

  1. Visit a Logo environment like:
  2. Open the editor
  3. Enter:
PRINT "Hello, World!

or try turtle drawing with:

FORWARD 100 RIGHT 90 FORWARD 100

Key Concepts #

  • PRINT — outputs a message to screen
  • Commands — like FORWARD, LEFT, CLEARSCREEN
  • Turtle graphics — drawing using motion and angles
  • Procedures — reusable sequences of commands
  • REPEAT — for loops and patterns
  • Simple syntax — keyword-based input
  • Constructivist learning — emphasizes discovery and creativity
  • Error forgiving — designed for young learners
  • Immediate feedback — visual output for every command
  • Foundation of educational languages like Scratch and Snap!

Try It Online #

🔗 Turtle Academy (Browser-Based)
🔗 Logo Interpreter – Calormen
🔗 JSLogo

Fun Facts #

Logo was one of the first programming languages for children

  • The “turtle” was originally a real robot that moved on paper
  • Seymour Papert, one of Logo’s creators, co-founded the MIT Media Lab
  • Logo was a direct inspiration for Scratch
  • Logo has been called the “Latin of programming languages” in education

Resources #

Updated on June 7, 2025

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