![]() I don’t know if this is a real practice or not but it’s possible. ![]() Imagining having to buy add-ons for Bonzi Browser gave me insights in how software companies can fool you into thinking you’re saving money by manipulating the price. Then I began to imagine Bonzi Software expanding its product line, soon releasing Bonzi Browser (“the new way to browse the web!”) and selling plugins such a password manager. Furthermore you had to wait 6 months before you were given another chance with Bonzi Club. Attempting to run the software with no points caused a scary skeleton to appear on your screen and remind you that your account is no longer active and that you needed to uninstall the software to avoid seeing the skeleton again. After all, zero points meant getting kicked out of Bonzi Club and losing access to its perks. Having a balance at zero points would put your Bonzi Club membership in jeopardy, so it was necessary to use the coupons on a daily basis, even if it meant eating fast food every day. If you sang that song, you would have won 5,000 points and a special prize, but if you didn’t, you would have those points taken away even after the software turned on your microphone to hear your excuse. One challenge required you to walk into McDonald’s and sing this song: ![]() (“If you use them all, you’ll gain 500 pounds!”, he would say) From time to time there would be Bonzi Challenges that gave you a chance to earn points for prizes. I began to imagine Bonzi Software creating a product called Bonzi Club, one that printed coupons for use at your favorite fast food restaurants. The more scripts I made for Bonzi Buddy, the more a completely different story began to emerge. It was possible to have fun with him without worrying about him spying on me. I also had him play games, including a number guessing game. I learned how to create simple VB scripts to have him say anything I wanted him to say and make rude noises. Years ago, during the days of Windows XP, I managed to find the Bonzi Buddy character file online for use with Microsoft Agent and started having fun with it in an entirely different way. Long after Bonzi Buddy was removed from the Internet, he somehow lived on in my imagination. ![]() I used to have it installed on my Windows 98 computer years ago and despite his spying habits, I still put him to use as he told jokes, sang songs and revealed interesting facts. I’m sure everyone remembers Bonzi Buddy, the adorable but sneaky purple gorilla that made his home on your screen. ![]()
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