Microsoft confirms it found a way to make Crocs even uglier – with Windows XP and Clippy

It looks like you want some horrible shoes. Would you like to win them?

Microsoft has delivered its found a way to make Crocs even uglier by using some of its own software.

Earth’s premier software company leaked news of the Crocs in August. On Wednesday the company confirmed their existence and said its customized Crocs are “inspired by some of the brand’s most recognizable moments, including Windows XP.”

Here they are.

Microsoft Crocs - Click to enlarge

If you have not averted your eyes, the image above depicts a pair of Crocs styled to resemble the “Bliss backdrop”, the photograph of a green hill and blue sky that was the standard desktop wallpaper for Windows XP.

Crocs corporation calls the icons on the shoes “Jibbitz charms”, little plastic charms that the footwear company sells as add-ons to those who want to personalize their footwear.

These Jibbitzes reproduce icons for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, the Windows Recycle Bin, and the Office Assistant, aka “Clippy”, that was an early precursor to Copilot.

Microsoft created these Crocs to celebrate its 50th anniversary, but hasn’t put them on sale. A competition staged on Instagram is the only way to get a pair.

Microsoft has a thing for unattractive clothes, as it often releases an ugly Christmas sweater that, strangely, proves very popular when The Register gives them away to readers.

The Crocs are a new item in Microsoft’s fashion collection, which also includes a drawstring bag that riffs on the Bliss backdrop.

For what it’s worth, Bliss was the inspiration for Microsoft’s 2023 ugly sweater, suggesting fashion is very much a side hustle for Redmond – unlike Cisco which last year promised to deliver quarterly fashion collections. ®