Clippy will return as an emoji in some Microsoft apps

Twenty years after being unceremoniously dumped from Microsoft Office, Clippy is ready to make a triumphant return. As part of a broader update to 1,800 emoji, the one-time assistant will replace the paperclip emoji in various Microsoft 365 products, including Office, Teams and Windows. Microsoft is updating its emoji library to make the characters 3D, as well as more colorful and fun. The company told The Verge approximately 900 of the redesigned emoji would feature some sort of animation, which you’ll be able to see in action in apps like Teams.

The company said it plans to roll out the new characters to Windows and Teams sometime in the upcoming holiday season. They will then make their way to other Office apps, including Yammer and Outlook, sometime after that.

Microsoft teased Clippy’s return earlier this month when it said on Twitter it would replace the paperclip emoji in Office if at least 20,000 people liked its tweet. As of the writing of this article, that message has 151,000 likes and counting. The tweet was an about-face for Microsoft. In 2019, a group of employees released a Teams sticker pack dedicated to the Office assistant on GitHub, only for the company to remove it a day later. This time, it appears Clippy is here to stay for good.