Microsoft is bringing back Clippy, this is how – Times of India

Software and cloud computing giant Microsoft has announced that it is bringing back its old animated character — Clippy — back to life as an emoji.
This was confirmed by Claire Anderson, Microsoft’s official “Emoji-ologist,” in an interview with The Verge.
“I grew up using Clippy, and it just seemed like a fun little Easter egg. We just all imagined that delight when you put the paperclip in a Microsoft product and then all of a sudden, you get this dose of nostalgia,” she added.
Clippy trivia
To recall, Microsoft used Clippy as an interactive animated character that assisted users for navigation through Microsoft Office tools.
This was present in Microsoft Office for Windows — from version 97 to 2003. However, it was discontinued in Office 2007 as it drew criticism.
Microsoft’s emoji overhaul
Besides Clippy, Microsoft is also doing a major overhaul of its emojis across Windows. The company is adopting a 3D look for its emojis as it moves on from2 D designs. The new emoji designs will feature bright and saturated colours.
In total, Microsoft will be revamping the designs of approximately 900 emojis in products including Microsoft Teams.
The newly designed emojis are set to make an appearance across all of Microsoft 365 in the coming months.
As per the tentative timeline, Flipgrid will get access to the new emoji next month and Microsoft Teams as well as Windows will get the update in the holiday season. This is said to be followed by Yammer, Outlook, and other Office apps.
World Emoji Day
The announcement from the Satya Nadella-led tech giant comes around what is celebrated as World Emoji day.
July 17 is the day that is widely accepted as World Emoji Day. Over the years, it has become a popular date for companies to make products and other announcements and launches relating to emojis.