Kevan Atteberry
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Kevan Atteberry (born 1955 or 1956)[1] is a Seattle-based[2] writer and illustrator known for children's books like Bunnies!!! and for creating Clippy, the animated paperclip helper included in Microsoft Office in the early 2000s.[3][4][5][1]
Clippy
Atteberry worked for Microsoft creating character designs for Microsoft Bob, a house-like interface for new computer users.[2] Bob was poorly received, and was quickly discontinued, but Microsoft moved Atteberry's contract over to work on another character-based new user tool called Office Assistant, build into Microsoft Office. He submitted more than 15 designs (drafted on a Macintosh computer), including a rabbit, stapler, and an anthropomorphic paperclip.[1] The company tested hundreds of designs, with the paperclip emerging as the most popular.[1] It was given the name Clippit, but became popularly known as Clippy.[5] On release, negative reaction to Clippy was severe, becoming a touchstone of failed design and named as one of Time's "50 Worst Inventions".[4][5]
Atteberry eventually stopped working for Microsoft to spend time with his family. Clippy's negative reception led him to omit it from his portfolio for a time, regarding it as a professional embarrassment.[5][3] In the 2010s and 2020s, however, he reassessed his design as he began receiving fan mail and recognition for designing a pop culture icon, with a wave of nostalgia driving even Clippy-based erotica.[5][3][2]
Children's books
Atteberry is a writer and illustrator of children's books. His 2015 picture book, Bunnies!!!, was a 2016 CCBC Choices book and received the 2016 Missouri Building Block award.[6][7] In 2020, he published Ghost Cat, which was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and received a regional Crystal Kite Award.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d "The Twisted Life of Clippy". Seattle Met. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ a b c Cole, Samantha (2017-04-26). "Clippy's Designer Wants to Know Who Got Clippy Pregnant". VICE. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ a b c Hogg, Ryan. "The designer of Microsoft's super-annoying 'Clippy' assistant says he was 'so embarrassed' by his creation". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ a b Cain, Abigail (2017-09-15). "The Life and Death of Microsoft Clippy, the Paper Clip the World Loved to Hate". Artsy. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ a b c d e McMillan, Robert. "The Demoted Microsoft Worker Getting His Revenge". WSJ. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ Kathleen T. Horning; Merri V. Lindgren; Megan Schliesman; Emily McKnight Townsend (2004). CCBC Choices 2016: Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers (PDF). Friends of the CCBC Inc. p. 47. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Amy (January 31, 2017). "Winner of the 2016 Missouri Building Block Award – Bunnies!!!". dbrl.org. Daniel Boone Regional Library. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Ausley, Christina. "Finalists named for 2020 Washington State Book Awards". www.seattlepi.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2025-08-12.