Microsoft brings Clippy back to life as an emoji

Microsoft threatened to resurrect the infamous Clippy yesterday, and now the company is following through.

In a Medium post detailing a new set of Office 365 emoji, the Windows maker says the default paperclip emoji is being replaced by the digital Office Assistant of the Windows 97 era, though with a slightly more modern, flatter design.

Clippy joins a group of 1,800 refreshed emoji across the various apps and programs bundled with Microsoft 365, most of which now have a new animated 3D look. Microsoft says the new emoji are coming to Flipgrid starting today and will come to Teams and Windows later this year, and then onward to Yammer, Outlook and more apps in 2022.

The Clippy joke began yesterday with a coy tweet from the Microsoft Twitter account daring users to clear 20,000 likes to bring Clippy back from its digital grave. Of course, the company had to know that was an easy milestone to hit; the tweet now stands at nearly 150,000 likes, and Microsoft had its Medium post declaring Clippy's return ready to go.

Now, every time you opt to use the paperclip emoji — which, frankly, nobody really does anymore — you'll be met by the cold, unending stare of Clippy. May it haunt you in your sleep.