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Lil Finder Guy, Apple's Clippy-Esque MacBook Mascot, Is Winning Hearts

The cute blue-and-white mascot made his debut during the MacBook Neo launch, but he's back in more TikTok videos. Long live "Lil Finder Guy"!

Headshot of Tyler Graham
Headshot of Tyler Graham
Tyler Graham Writer
Tyler is a writer for CNET covering laptops and video games. He's previously covered mobile devices, home energy products and broadband. He came to CNET straight out of college, where he graduated from Seton Hall with a bachelor's degree in journalism. When Tyler's not asking questions or doing research for his next assignment, you can find him in his home state of New Jersey, kicking back with a bagel and watching an action flick or playing a new video game. When Tyler's not asking questions or doing research for his next assignment, you can find him in his home state of New Jersey, kicking back with a bagel and watching an action flick or playing a new video game. You can reach him at tgraham@cnet.com.
Expertise Video gaming, computer hardware, laptops, home energy, home internet
Tyler Graham
2 min read
Lil Finder Guy sits next to a MacBook Neo on a table.

The Lil Finder Guy is always hanging around a MacBook, and honestly, he just looks happy to be there.

Apple/Screenshot by CNET

If you were paying attention to Apple's TikTok account during the MacBook Neo debut, you may have spotted a little blue-and-white dude hanging out in the periphery of one video. The nerdy little azure blob-man (who looks absolutely academic with his specs on) hasn't received an official name. Still, the internet has taken to calling him "Lil Finder Guy," thanks to his resemblance to the Finder app icon.

That hard-working mascot has returned in numerous new TikTok videos on Apple's account -- where it looks like the company is building one big Lil Finder Guy thumbnail mosaic -- and he's already earning online fans.

Apple's TikTok account is posting multiple videos which create one big Lil Finder Guy thumbnail mosaic.

It looks like a Lil Finder Guy thumbnail mosaic is being built on Apple's TikTok account. Expect at least three more videos with the mascot soon.

Apple/Screenshot by CNET

While he isn't featured on your desktop yet, the Lil Finder Guy's ties to file management could make him a stand-in for a Clippy-esque character on Apple computers. Clippy was Microsoft's infamous animated paper clip that assisted people with Microsoft Office in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

Clippy was discontinued in 2001, though he sometimes pops up in memes. It'll be interesting to see if the Lil Finder Guy mascot concept has legs. Will this cerulean scholar continue to appear outside MacBook Neo marketing materials?

He seems better-liked than Clippy. Already, TikTok viewers are leaving comments calling Lil Finder Guy "flipping cute" and asking for official plushies. One dedicated Lil Finder Guy fan wrote that they'll 3D-print a figurine of the character if they have to. The nerdy little office worker has inspired plenty of loyalty very quickly.

Apple's tiny new mascot might be the company's version of Android's Bugdroid. Both characters are round, friendly-looking fellers who represent tech giants while looking as cute as a button.

We reached out to an Apple representative to see if Lil Finder Guy has an official name, but haven't yet heard back.