Paperclip maximizers have been around for a while in print, though rarely in exactly that form. If you want to read one, search for My Little Ponies: Friendship

Paperclip maximizers have been around for a while in print, though rarely in exactly that form. If you want to read one, search for My Little Ponies: Friendship is Optimal. Yes, it's a My Little Ponies fan-fiction, or at any rate it is presented as one. It's actually a chilling story about an accidental paperclip maximizer.