Before Siri and Alexa, there was Bonzi. In the early 2000s, a purple, talking gorilla named BonziBuddy was billed as a free virtual assistant, ready for all your internet needs.

BonziBuddy (or "Bonzi Buddy") was a piece of internet spyware masquerading as a virtual assistant. It was created by Bonzi Software, a company that was once one of the most visited sites on the ...

BONZI BUDDY’S most familiar product is an animated purple ape that sits on users’ computer screens and makes Web site recommendations.