I found this in a few different places around the 'net - hopefully it's helpful:

Turn Off, Display, and Select an Animated Character in Search Companion in Windows XP

This article describes how to turn off, display, and select a different animated screen character in Search Companion.

How to Turn Off the Animated Screen Character

• Click Start, and then click Search.
• In the Search Companion dialog box, click Change Preferences.
• In the How do you want to use Search Companion box, click Without an animated screen character.

The screen character is no longer displayed in Search Companion.
Note: You can also right-click the screen character, and then click Turn off the animated character in the You rang box.

How to Display the Animated Screen Character

• Click Start, and then click Search.
• In the Search Companion dialog box, click Change Preferences.
• Click With an animated screen character in the How do you want to use Search Companion box.

The screen character is displayed in Search Companion. How to Select a Different Animated Screen Character

• Click Start, and then click Search.
• In the Search Companion dialog box, click Change Preferences.
• Click With a different character in the How do you want to use Search Companion box.
• Click Back or Next in the Which character would you like to use box to view the characters.
• When the character that you want is displayed, click OK.

The screen character that you selected is displayed in Search Companion.
Note: You can also right-click the screen character, and then click Choose a different animated character in the You rang box. Troubleshooting
If the Search Companion dialog box is not displayed, press F3 to open it.
You can also open the Search Companion dialog box when you press F3 in Windows Explorer, My Computer, or Microsoft Internet Explorer.