Why Are Celebrities Enlisting a Universe of Unreal Mascots?

Trying to understand Jennifer Aniston’s virtual celebrity pet

Lance Ulanoff
OneZero

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Hello, virtual friends (Credit: Invisible Universe)

Did you know Jennifer Aniston has her own animated character? So do Serena Williams and the D’Amelio sisters, Charli and Dixie. Aside for being famous for acting, tennis and, TikTok dances, respectively, these celebrities have little in common — except these CGI characters that started cropping up on their Instagrams six months ago.

I only discovered them in November when I noticed an adorable, animated dog, Clydeo, on an Aniston Instagram post where it was trying to copy Aniston’s yoga poses. She tagged the CGI pup’s own Instagram (@callmyclydeo). Aniston’s post was actually the second one featuring the character, whom she introduced in early December with a craftly edited video showing her real dogs sizing up the computer-generated one.

Clydeo’s Instagram has, as I write this, just nine posts, virtually all of them feature Aniston or at least her voice. In one, Clydeo is baking cookies in what looks to be Aniston’s oven. The actor asks, “Clydeo, did you make enough for me, too?” In others, Clydeo is performing TikTok dances in, again, what might be Aniston’s kitchen.

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Lance Ulanoff
OneZero

Tech expert, journalist, social media commentator, amateur cartoonist and robotics fan.