Love him or hate him, the animated paperclip Clippy is set to return as an emoji.
Few things have so divided Microsoft Office users as much as Clippy. Introduced in Windows 97 (and removed in Office 2007) as a Microsoft Office virtual assistant, some people loved Clippy’s antics, while others hated him.
The company teased Clippy’s return in a tweet saying, if the tweet received 20,000 likes, the company would replace the Microsoft 365 paperclip with Clippy.
The tweet has received 154.9K likes (including one from yours truly. You’re welcome for that, by the way), pretty much ensuring Microsoft will follow through with its promise.
“When we looked at redesigning the paper clip, we thought, ‘How could you not?” Claire Anderson, Microsoft’s art director, and resident “emojiologist,” told CNN Business. “It’s a way of honoring where we’ve come from as we also look at a new tech style. .. But like most nostalgic things, we know Clippy can be polarizing.”