Microsoft’s Clippy Makes a Surprise Return as an Easter Egg
Microsoft’s iconic virtual assistant, Clippy, has officially returned nearly 18 years after being discontinued. The beloved paperclip has been discovered as a hidden Easter egg within Microsoft’s new AI companion, Mico.
Key Takeaways
- Clippy is back as a hidden feature in the new Mico AI character.
- Users can reveal Clippy by tapping on Mico multiple times.
- The return has sparked a wave of nostalgia among longtime fans.
The friendly anthropomorphic paperclip was spotted in Microsoft’s latest announcement about Mico, a small blob with a smiley face designed to make Copilot ‘more personal and more adaptable’. While Mico doesn’t resemble its famous predecessor, early users found that repeatedly tapping on it transforms the character into Clippy.
‘Clippy is back as an Easter egg in Copilot’s new Mico character. If you tap on Mico multiple times then Clippy appears,’ explained Tom Warren, Senior Editor at The Verge.
The surprise return has delighted nostalgic fans across social media. One enthusiast declared, ‘IT SHALL NOT BE REPLACED especially with AI slop,’ while another joked, ‘The lack of respect, Clippy wouldn’t stand for this AI slop.’
From Office Assistant to Internet Legend
Originally launched in 1997, Clippy served as Microsoft Office’s virtual assistant, appearing on-screen to help users with tasks. Despite becoming widely disliked, the character was officially retired in 2007 but lived on through memes and parodies.
Microsoft has experimented with various virtual assistants since Clippy’s departure, including Cortana and the infamous Tay bot, which was shut down in 2016 after posting offensive content.
The company describes Mico as ‘an optional visual presence that listens, reacts, and even changes colors to reflect your interactions, making voice conversations feel more natural.’
Clippy’s Previous Comebacks
This isn’t Clippy’s first reappearance. The character previously returned in 2019 as part of a Microsoft Teams sticker pack and on the company’s GitHub page. In 2021, Microsoft officially added Clippy as a replacement for its basic paperclip emoji.
As one X user humorously noted, ‘2001 Clippy was time traveling backwards from 2026 and leaving breadcrumbs,’ suggesting the character’s enduring appeal was always destined for a comeback.
