More Than 70 New Emoji Are Coming to an iPhone Near You
Red hair on emoji people? Groundbreaking.
It’s World Emoji Day. And Apple, undeniably home of the world’s most recognizable emoji, announced it will unveil 70 new symbols later this year. That includes a long-time fan request for red-headed emoji and some new foods, careers (of the super variety), and animals.
All of the new emoji slated for release are available for a sneak peek on Apple’s news blog, but some are definitely more exciting than others. There will soon be over 1,300 emoji, and Apple tells Inverse that, while the company itself doesn’t choose the emoji, the new designs are approved by the Unicode Consortium, where Apple is represented by a member of the Board of Directors.
12 of Apple's 70 new emoji that will appear on devices later this year.
There are five new emoji that sway the most attention from their peers.
Male and Female Superhero Emoji
For certain, the most exciting emoji that will debut later this year are the superheroes. Like other career and fantasy-oriented emoji, there will be a female superhero with a rounder face and longer hair, along with a male counterpart.
It’s about time that Apple introduce a superhero emoji. The career field section of emoji is pretty much overspecialized to the point that some are seldom used by many iPhone users. And the fantasy creatures are kind of weird. Who uses the swamp zombie? Or the pink and blue genies? Or mermaids or fairies or suspiciously Legend of Zelda-esque elves?
The superhero emoji smile wanly. What do they know? What do they know they know? Do we know they know it?
The superhero, however, carries a connotation. Oh, my mom is a superhero, one might think, as they text her to tell her what a great job she did as the elementary school auctioneer — perfect occasion for the superhero emoji. Or it could be used to distinguish a group chat specifically for the purpose of coordinating a time to see the new Marvel movie. The possibilities are endless and could be universally applied.
One lingering question: Did any notable superhero inspire the design of these new emoji? Does the woman have a touch of Brie Larson? Did Henry Cavill’s face become yellow-washed for the role of arbitrary superhero emoji?
The Bald-headed and Red-headed Emoji
At this point in the emoji game, Apple is one step ahead of its detractors. In the past, the emoji keyboard has been the subject of controversy due to a lack of ethnicity options, sexualities, and family amalgamations.
A dizzying spectrum of baldness and carrot-colored locks for the new emoji.
And baldness, for both female and male emoji, was a big step toward hair inclusion, or the lack of it. Not only do medical conditions and treatment cause baldness, but it’s becoming more of an aesthetic choice among both trendsetters and nonbinary individuals who prefer to keep their hairstyle androgynous.
Test Tube, Infinity Symbol, and Nazar Amulet Emoji
Last up in this analysis of worthwhile emoji is the addition of three unrelated symbols that each exude Big Emoji Energy. How powerful could these emoji be? Infinite power could be stored in the hypnotic curves of the infinity symbol. The green, bubbling liquid can barely be contained in the precariously leaning test tube. And the mysterious chakra of the Nazar Amulet swirls beneath its glassy, eye-like surface.
All of these emoji would be great for a midlife crisis tattoo.
To put it plainly, it’s shocking that Apple didn’t have the infinity symbol and test tube emoji before, and the Nazar Amulet is a weird choice — but at this point, it’s to be expected. The Unicode Consortium has picked lots of seemingly random emoji are actually inspired by the Japanese culture that gave us emoji-style art in the first place.
Plenty of people already sport the infinity symbol as a tattoo, since it’s one of the most popular selections for recently-turned 18-year-olds and people experiencing their midlife crisis. With the advent of its own emoji, iPhone users can tell their loved ones about their tattoo choice with a simple symbol. The test tube would be great for a drug code name, but after the DEA catches on, it would also be a nice nod to any texting buddies who enjoy the Science Channel or a good, old fashioned kitchen experiment.
And last but certainly not least, the Nazar Amulet is a facet of Middle Eastern culture. It’s believed to protect the wearer or owner against the evil eye, and not just the one from the bartender ten minutes before closing. The evil eye is a dangerous spirit that can inflict harm, so thank the gods Apple is instilling a form of protection on everyone’s mobile devices.
So, there’s a taste of what new emoji will have to offer. Eventually, Apple will either have to start removing old, unused emoji or cease the forward momentum of emoji progress. But for now, iPhone users can look forward to more ways to express their texts. 😉
