Clippy - What happened to Clippy? The Microsoft Office Assistant

Table of Contents

What is Clippy?

Those of you who were Microsoft Office 97 users will undoubtedly remember Clippy.
The mascot of the productivity suite, who appeared from time to time to help with questions or offer usage tips.
Clippy was retired when Microsoft Office XP was released in 2001.
Its usefulness has always been highly questioned.
Sometimes it showed up when not asked, and other times it did nothing but annoy.
Indeed, it did often provide valuable advice, but it was more user criticism than praise.

It caused that four years later, when Office XP was launched in 2001.
Microsoft sacrificed the famous clip in favor of other functionalities and pets, such as a cute puppy or a cuddly kitten.
Even though 18 years have passed since his disappearance, Clippy fans continue to remember him and request his return.
Microsoft receives hundreds of requests each year in this regard.
When Clippy “came back to life” a few days ago in the form of a sticker for Teams, Microsoft’s productivity tool many were happy.
However, not everyone was happy with the return of Clippy in the form of a sticker for the Teams chat.
It was on GitHub, from where users could import it to use it in their communications.

Responsible for Microsoft’s Brand, upon learning of this launch, took action on the matter, and Clippy was withdrawing in a matter of hours.
“There is no intention to bring Clippy back to life,” the company noted.
Clippy’s momentary return was not an official Microsoft move, but rather it was one of those nostalgic users who uploaded it to GitHub.
After the withdrawal, fans have even opened a petition to request the company to return Clippy.
It is something that does not seem to happen, at least in the short term.
The jubilation seized the followers of this distinguished Office assistant who received the news.
The famous clip did not return to play its previous role but instead as the protagonist of animated stickers for Microsoft Teams chats.
This pack of stickers saw the light on the Office development page that Redmond has on GitHub.
Anyone could import them into the communication software between teams, but in just one day, Clippy died again.
The stickers disappeared, and the paper clip returned to the Microsoft drawers.
Those responsible for this second death of the most famous clip in computing appear to be Microsoft’s brand police members.

A source familiar with Microsoft, the branding team, was unhappy that Clippy when appears on Microsoft teams again.
That is why, they say, he immediately ordered his disappearance.
He had to go back to oblivion.
Officially, however, a company spokesperson told the US publication that “Clippy has been trying to get his job back since 2001, and his brief appearance on GitHub was another attempt.”
However, he admitted, “while we appreciate the effort, we have no plans to bring Clippy to the teams.”
Dear Office clip: they don’t want you.

Also Read: Super73 – Super73 Design, Specification, Modes, Applications, and More