Celebrate the holidays with this ugly Clippy Sweater, plus some festive Microsoft Teams backgrounds

Clippy Holidays
(Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft just released its latest ugly holiday sweater featuring Clippy.
  • There are also holiday-themed backgrounds for Microsoft Teams available.
  • Microsoft also announced today that it will contribute $100,000 to the College Success Foundation, which helps underserved and low-income students.

With Halloween in the rearview mirror, the winter holidays are around the corner. To celebrate, Microsoft just launched a new ugly sweater featuring the Clippy. The iconic mascot is also available in several custom background images for Microsoft Teams.

Many offices hold ugly sweater parties around the holiday season. At the event, people get to show off their playful side with over-the-top sweaters that are so ugly they're charming. Microsoft releases at least one ugly sweater each year.

Rather than suggesting ways to help you draft a Word document, Clippy says "Happy Holidays" on the two-toned sweater. Snowflakes appear throughout the design, as do UI elements from Microsoft Office. The Clippy ugly sweater is available starting today through the Microsoft gear shop.

One of the Teams backgrounds features Clippy on a stack of papers saying, "looks like you're on a Teams call." Other images have a real-life mascot of Clippy celebrating the holidays in a variety of ways, including serving cookies and carrying gifts.

You can download the custom background images through the Microsoft gear shop as well. While marketed as background images for Teams calls and meetings, you can use the photos anywhere you'd like. Our guide on how to use custom background images on Microsoft Teams can help make your meetings feel more festive.

In addition to launching its ugly holiday sweaters and backgrounds, Microsoft announced that it will donate $100,000 to the College Success Foundation, which helps underserved and low-income students.

Ugly Clippy Sweater | From Microsoft

Ugly Clippy Sweater | From Microsoft

This ugly sweater lets you show off your passion for Microsoft and the iconic Clippy mascot. It's a great way to spice up an ugly sweater party, even if you work from home.

CATEGORIES
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.