Who Are the Salesforce Characters? Get to Know Astro, Codey, and Friends

I’m Domenique, sometimes better known as “Astro’s mom.” I’m the guardian of the entire lineup of Salesforce characters, and people ask me all the time how they came to be. So here’s the story!

It was a SaaSy time

Way back in 1999, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff dreamed of a way to make software easier to purchase, simpler to use, and more democratic in general. What would companies and individuals be free to do if they weren’t always dealing with the complexity of installing, maintaining, and constantly updating their software?

The NO SOFTWARE concept and logo were created from this vision, and our original mascot, SaaSy, followed soon after. A creation of Bruce Campbell, SaaSy challenged the idea of what enterprise software had to be.

SaaSy is still out there at Salesforce events, finding new ways to bring our customers together and rooting them on. Happy and energetic, SaaSy knows that work can also be fun!

As our original mascot, SaaSy unified our customers and encouraged them on their way. Now, just like our company, our family has grown.

Meet Astro: Your guide to Salesforce

In 2014, I was the only creative on the Developer Marketing team as we prepared for Developer Week. We were working on a concept of an early MTV-inspired “moon landing” graphic, and we wanted to present a T-shirt to all participating developers. But not just your average conference T-shirt — it definitely had to have a “cool” factor.

As any creative knows, many of your initial concepts may miss the mark, so I probably made about a dozen T-shirt designs and heard lots of “no’s.” But together with Rochelle Truong, our office manager (and a secret illustrator), we created a graphic with an astronaut. The community adored the shirt — she really nailed it — and Astro was born! As part of Trailhead — Salesforce’s free online learning platform — Samantha Ready then expanded the concept by giving Astro their last name: Nomical.

The character of Astro is what Salesforce is all about giving you the skills to build amazing things and welcoming you into our amazing Trailblazer Community. Astro has saved a place for you!

Astro is your warm and welcoming guide to everything at Salesforce. Astro can be anything they can dream of — that’s why they wear so many different costumes! Astro helps you become the best at anything you want to do, too!

Astro always encourages you to achieve your goals by experimenting with new things, asking lots of questions, and always remembering to have fun. Ever curious and constantly learning, they love traveling, making new friends, and having brand-new adventures on the trail.

Now that you know about Astro and their backstory, come learn about the rest of the inhabitants of Salesforcelandia!

Meet Astro’s friends: The Salesforce characters

Quick-thinking Einstein is our resident problem solver and data scientist. Einstein will help you learn all about your customers. Einstein’s analytical mind means he’s passionate about learning new things, and he’s always ready to expand on the knowledge he’s accumulated. He even wants to use his knowledge to help him predict the future!

As generous as he is brilliant, Einstein is always ready to help you gain knowledge and find new solutions. With Einstein, you can unlock your inner genius and learn to analyze and make smart predictions!

You’ll find Codey paws-deep in all kinds of big projects and always having a great time! Whether he’s coding an app or pouring lattes as a ‘Bearista,’ Codey isn’t afraid to get noticed or dive right in to get things done.

Codey believes that you can create absolutely anything with clicks or with code, and he wants to inspire makers everywhere to build amazing things. While he may be fearless, he’s certainly not ferocious. In fact, he loves to give out bear hugs! With Codey at your side, you’re able to build anything on the Salesforce Platform.

Cloudy knows that you can be a leader and achieve success with Salesforce! Tech-savvy and smart, Cloudy builds innovative, cloud-based apps. She really loves to be at the center of the action!

Her best characteristics are her confidence and her steadfast nature, but her in-depth knowledge of everything cloud-related is also certainly a bonus! Cloudy finds the best in everyone and encourages them to explore their own unlimited potential.

Brandy the Fox is a moment-maker. Bold, brilliant, and dependable, Brandy is full of inspiring ideas that help marketers thrive. Creative yet analytical, she will be the brains behind your strategy so that every moment feels like magic.

Every team needs an on-the-go, work-from-anywhere marketer — and that’s Brandy!

When you need to get into the technical details, just ask the elephant in the room! Ruth won’t let you down. She’s an architect at heart and is here to help you scale to new heights in your career.

Ruth’s name stands for Responsible, Universal, Technical, Humble. It’s no wonder she’s so loved.

Zig travels in a dazzle (the word for a herd of zebras), makes a plan before making a move, and values relationships more than leading the pack. She also models the qualities of the quintessential Salesblazer: a dynamic, creative, courageous go-getter with a give-to-get philosophy. 

Zig has earned her stripes within the sales industry and it’s now her mission to help bring Salesblazers together.

Koa the Dog has been part of the family since the beginning when we were a small business. Spirited, resourceful, loyal, fun, and friendly, he’s the ultimate “best friend” — a faithful companion who’s always there for you. With Koa the Dog by your side, you can always do what you love.

Automation is all about taking action, fast, with repeatable results. Flo is full of energy and always making life better for those around him. Flying squirrels are the ultimate team players. They huddle together in nests, share their ecosystem with other animals, and are all about connecting together in a welcoming way.

Flo can walk on the ground, soar through the air, and climb trees with ease, much like how automation can simplify nearly every workflow across industries. Flo’s philosophy is that nothing is too difficult to overcome. Flo is agile, hard-working, and ready to help take your team to new heights.

Did you ever wish you had a guide to help you through a complicated situation? Well, Appy is here for that! Appy has the inside scoop on all things Salesforce, and she loves to lead the way and help you navigate the AppExchange ecosystem.

A mover and shaker, Appy uses her extensive network to get things done. In those (rare) cases where she doesn’t know an answer, she will connect you with the right person to help solve your problem.

Inspiring entrepreneurs everywhere to turn their dreams into reality, there’s no challenge too great for Appy. She’s always here to help, and she believes in you.

Max the Mule is a superhero of syntax, a kicker of code, and full of heart. In the world of integration, he combines the strength of a donkey to haul data and code with the speed of a stallion for faster integrations.

Max represents the best of all worlds, connecting apps, data, and devices for heroic integration.

You are welcome here, with all our Trailheart

And that’s the entire Salesforce cast of characters! They were all brought to life by what was happening in the wider community, and they’re here not only for each other but also for you.

At its core, Trailhead has always been positive, supportive, and purposeful. So we call the passion for what we do here “Trailheart.” Whether you’re learning new skills, connecting with each other, or giving back to the community, Astro and friends are here to encourage you all along the way.

So dive in and get hands-on with AI (like Einstein!), reach new heights with automation (like Flo!), or soar to new career heights (like Astro!) on Trailhead. You can kick things off by signing up (for free!) and completing the Beginner’s Quest (learn new skills, win fun prizes!) Start Your Trailblazer Journey trailmix.

Want to learn more? Listen to the Admin podcast episode from October 2022: A Brief History of Salesforce Characters with Domenique Buxton.

Rights of ALBERT EINSTEIN are used with permission of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Represented exclusively by Greenlight.