Kevan Atteberry | |
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 Kevan Atteberry at the 2010 ROFLCon | |
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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]
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]
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]