When we first revealed the existence of Microsoft’s Windows ninja cat riding a fire-breathing unicorn it was just a mere sticker on some employee’s laptops. Over the past few months it has become a symbol for Windows fans after its rise in popularity, helped in part by Microsoft selling the ninja cat stickers. Today, Microsoft is embracing it fully with the release of three desktop wallpapers designed for Windows fans.
Microsoft’s Windows ninja cat now rides a Tyrannosaurus rex in Skype
is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.
There’s the original ninja cat riding a fire-breathing unicorn, and two new creations: ninja cat riding a T. rex and ninja cat riding a whale. The T. rex version plays on the unstoppable meme, with the dinosaur sporting claw hand grabbers. Reddit fans will spot that the ninja cat riding a narwhal is a clear reference to the catchphrase used by Redditors to identify themselves in public places.
If the addition of two new wallpapers wasn’t enough, Microsoft has gone one step further. Ninja cat riding the T. rex will appear in Skype today. If you send a friend (windows10) then an animated version of the T. rex shows up. It works in most Skype clients except the Windows Phone version, which is highly ironic. This might all seem like Microsoft is trying to cash in on something that got popular or beat something to death, but it’s just a few Windows engineers having fun with the fans. That’s why Microsoft is cool again.
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