Editing Office Assistant (section)

==Assistants==
When the Office Assistant feature was introduced in Office 97, the user could choose which character is displayed while they use the program. The list of characters that the user could choose from include:<!-- Listed in order of appearance -->
* Clippit (the [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] paperclip most are familiar with, the default option in most of the Microsoft Office editions that supported Office Assistant)
* The Dot (a shape-shifting [[smiley]]-faced red ball)
* The Genius (a caricature of [[Albert Einstein]], removed in Office XP but available as a downloadable add-on)
* Hoverbot (a [[robot]])
* {{Nihongo|2=カイル|3=Kairu}} (a [[dolphin]] available for East Asian editions, also downloadable for other regions)<ref>{{cite web |date=1998-06-07 |title=Office 97 Assistant: Kairu the Dolphin |url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c0c179c4-7641-4cc8-945a-94a3dcebdb58&DisplayLang=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416114834/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C0C179C4-7641-4CC8-945A-94A3DCEBDB58&displaylang=en |archive-date=2007-04-16 |access-date=2007-05-08 |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref>
* Office Logo (a [[jigsaw puzzle]] composed of four pieces, which was the logo for Microsoft Office 9x. There was also an additional downloadable silent, immobile version of the character with a minor redesign)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2000-08-15 |title=Office 97 Assistant: Quiet Office Logo |url=http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/downloadDetails/tofflogo.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815194834/http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/downloadDetails/tofflogo.htm |archive-date=2000-08-15 |access-date=2024-11-30 }}</ref>
* Mother Nature (a [[globe]])
* Power Pup (a [[superhero]] [[dog]])
* Scribble (an [[origami]]-esque [[cat]])
* Will (a caricature of [[William Shakespeare]])

In Microsoft Office 2000 and beyond, the ''Hoverbot'', ''Scribble'', ''Power Pup'', and ''Will'' assistants were removed, and new Office Assistants were introduced in their place:<!-- Listed in order of appearance -->
* F1 (a robot who was previously downloadable for Office 97, included in Microsoft Office 2000 & beyond)
* Links (a cat who was previously downloadable for Office 97, included in Microsoft Office 2000 & beyond)
* Rocky (a dog included in Microsoft Office 2000 & beyond)
* Merlin (a [[Wizard (fantasy)|wizard]] inspired by the [[Merlin|character of the same name]], introduced in Office XP)

The Clippit, Office Logo, and Kairu assistants were also redesigned to have a more three dimensional appearance. The removed assistants later resurfaced as downloadable add-ons along with other additional assistants.<ref>{{cite web |title=Microsoft Agent download page for end-users |url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/results.aspx?pocId=&freetext=office%2097%20assistant&DisplayLang=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20100506025412/http%3A//www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/results.aspx?pocId%3D%26freetext%3Doffice%252097%2520assistant%26DisplayLang%3Den |archive-date=2010-05-06 |access-date=2007-05-08 |website=Microsoft Download Center |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref>

=== Exclusive Assistants ===
In [[Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition|Microsoft Office 98]] and [[Microsoft Office 2001|2001]], [[MacOS]] exclusive editions of Microsoft Office, all of the built in Office 97 assistants were included (also retaining their Office 97 designs) along with an additional three assistants:<!-- Listed in order of appearance -->
* Bosgrove (a [[butler]] exclusive to MacOS)
* Earl the cat (a blue cat, also downloadable for Office 97)
* Max (a [[Macintosh Plus]] computer exclusive to MacOS)

The Office XP Multilingual Pack had two more assistants for Asian language users in non-Asian Office versions:<ref>{{cite web |date=2004-07-18 |script-title=ja:フミオ君のボヤキ 第14回 「ワード」のイルカ |url=http://www.kaiyou-k.jp/fumiovol14.htm |access-date=2011-12-22 |publisher=Kaiyou-k.jp}}</ref>
* {{Nihongo||冴子先生|Saeko Sensei}} (an animated teacher available for East Asian editions)
* The Monkey King ({{Zh|c=孫悟空}}) (based on the fictional character [[Monkey King|Sun Wukong]], available for East Asian editions)
In 1999, there was a partnership between Microsoft and the Japanese talk show {{Nihongo|2=さんまのまんま|3=Sanma no Manma}} hosted by comedian [[Sanma Akashiya]], where if a customer in Japan were to purchase a copy of Microsoft Office 2000 Upgrade Edition, they would be mailed a promotional CD that would install the show's mascot {{Nihongo|2=まんまちゃん|3=Manma-chan}}, an alien that resembles a dog as an additional Office Assistant.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1999-11-16 |title=Microsoft Office 2000 まんまちゃんオフィスアシスタントプレゼント |url=http://microsoft.com/japan/Office/Campaign/Thanks/kokuti.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991116123453/http://microsoft.com/japan/Office/Campaign/Thanks/kokuti.htm |archive-date=1999-11-16 |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Microsoft}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Stephen |date=2021-09-01 |title=The Microsoft Office Assistant You've Never Seen (Until Now) |url=https://www.thurrott.com/office/255148/the-microsoft-office-assistant-youve-never-seen-until-now |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Thurrott.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202054114/https://www.thurrott.com/office/255148/the-microsoft-office-assistant-youve-never-seen-until-now |url-status=live }}</ref>