Microsoft makes fun of…Microsoft?
First Microsoft promoted Windows 2000 by lambasting Windows 98’s Blue Screen of Death. Now they’re making fun of Clippy, the annoying Office Assistant that plagued Office 2000. Clippy’s new site is amusing, although it’s a thinly-disguised Office XP advertisement… The site even includes a song called “It Looks Like You’re Writing a Letter,” which I haven’t yet dared download. There is a picture of Clippy with random speech balloons, one of which actually said “All your base are belong to us.” Another: “At least I’m not a sock puppet.”
That’s not all. There is also a series of Flash cartoons featuring Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of the doomed paperclip. The first one even threw in a jab at Microsoft Bob, the pit that Clippy crawled out of. They’re apparently working on more, including a game in which you shoot staples at Clippy.
I’m not sure if this means Microsoft is getting cocky enough that they can promote something one year and make fun of it the next, or if they’re actually developing a sense of humor. One way or the other, it’s funny.