BonziBuddy
BonziBuddy was a free Windows desktop assistant created by Bonzi Software. It first came out in 1999 and could talk, tell jokes, sing songs, help manage downloads, and show ads.
It used Microsoft Agent technology. At first it featured Peedy, the green parrot, as the default character, and in May 2000 it added its own Bonzi character, a purple gorilla. The program also used a text-to-speech voice named Sydney.
BonziBuddy became widely known as spyware and adware. It could reset your homepage to bonzi.com without permission, collect information, install a browser toolbar, and serve advertisements. Security firms labeled it adware, and Consumer Reports Web Watch described it as spyware with a backdoor that collected data.
Legal action followed. A class-action settlement in 2003 required changes to its ads, and in 2004 the FTC ordered Bonzi Software to pay $75,000 for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data from children under 13. The program was discontinued in 2004, with a final update removing the harmful features; the Bonzi site remained until 2005 and the Bonzi.com portal closed in 2008.
Today, BonziBuddy is remembered as a nuisance and a relic of early internet days, often cited as a meme and subject of parodies. Some articles view it as a regrettable but oddly charming piece of Web 1.0 history, and fan pages still host old copies and discussions.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:37 (CET).