Microsoft is getting serious about bringing Clippy back from the Windows graveyard. But don’t worry—its resurrection won’t bring back its intrusive messages. It will instead take the form of a Microsoft 365 emoji.
Clippy May Make a Return as an Emoji
In a Tweet, Microsoft promised to bring Clippy back as a paperclip emoji on one condition: the Tweet has to reach 20,000 likes.
If this gets 20k likes, we’ll replace the paperclip emoji in Microsoft 365 with Clippy. pic.twitter.com/6T8ziboguC
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) July 14, 2021
Users must really have a love-hate relationship with the infamous Microsoft Office helper, as the like count quickly soared past Microsoft’s goal. That number is still rising, so Microsoft better stay true to its promise.
If the picture Microsoft included alongside its Tweet represents what Clippy would look like as an emoji, you might’ve noticed some distinct changes in appearance. Clippy assumes a thicker frame, has more welcoming eyes, and sports a pair of short and thick brows. After all, it’s only fitting that Clippy has a makeover before he graces our desktops once again.
Having Clippy as a static paperclip emoji is a far cry from its overbearing presence in Microsoft Office. The anthropomorphic paperclip was frequently found dancing around in the corner of your screen, interrupting your workflow and offering unwanted advice.
Clippy became available in Microsoft Office starting in 1997, but was officially killed off in 2007. Its decade-long run made a huge impact on users—the majority of which grew to despise the googly-eyed creature.
If Clippy does make a return as an emoji, at least you’ll be able to choose whether or not to invoke it. Plus, being an emoji, the paperclip’s lips will (hopefully) remain zipped.
Will Microsoft Really Bring Back Clippy?
Microsoft still hasn’t confirmed whether or not it will bring back Clippy as an emoji. Its Tweet did reach well over 20,000 likes, so theoretically, it should bring it back. However, this could all just be a huge joke by Microsoft, which would definitely be a disappointment to diehard Clippy fans.
It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Microsoft does add a Clippy emoji, though. The company released a series of nostalgic Microsoft Teams backgrounds, one of which includes a picture of Clippy in what seems to be an office.
But in the blog post that accompanied the new backgrounds, Microsoft’s comment contradicted its recent Tweet. Microsoft implied that Clippy won’t be making a return anytime soon. “No, Clippy is not a part of Microsoft 365,” Microsoft wrote.
Does this mean that Clippy won’t even make a return in the form of an emoji, and Microsoft’s Tweet is just an empty promise? In this case, it’s hard to tell.
