We communicate in pictures now. It is almost impossible to send a text message without feeling like something is missing if you leave out a grinning face or a heart-eyes emoji. But how did we get here? The answer involves ancient pottery, insurance companies, and a massive global code standard.
1999: The Modern Emoji Father
Shigetaka Kurita is widely considered the father of the modern emoji. In 1999, he worked for the Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo. His job was to create small icons for early mobile phones and computers. He designed 176 symbols. They were tiny. Twelve by twelve pixels.
These early graphics covered zodiac signs, weather patterns, and basic emotions. You can still see Kurita’s original designs today at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. They were the first true digital emoticons in the way we recognize them.
Today, the numbers are huge. There are over 3,000 emojis available for use in WhatsApp, Twitter, and other platforms. New ones are added every year. Who decides? The Unicode Consortium. This nonprofit organization writes the code for every new symbol. For example, the code for the simple grinning face is U+1F604.
Why Do Emojis Look Different on Every Phone?
You might have noticed that a smiley face on an iPhone looks different from one on an Android. This happens because Unicode only defines the meaning and code. It does not define the look. The visual design comes from the operating system, the font, and the chat platform you are using.
This leads to the common question: why do emojis vary by device? The answer lies in proprietary design choices. Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft all interpret the same Unicode code differently. This is why your friend’s laughing emoji might have tears, while yours just has a wide grin.
The Word “Emoji” Has Nothing to Do with Emotions
The term sounds like it comes from the English word “emotion.” It does not. The word emoji is Japanese. It combines two words: “e” for image and “moji” for character. So, an emoji is literally an image character. It is a pictogram.
1982: The Origin of Emoticons
Before pixelated images, there were emoticons. These are text-based combinations that show facial expressions when you turn your phone sideways. 🙂 stands for joy. 🙁 for sadness. :-* for a kiss.
Scott Fahlmann, an informatics professor, invented them. He and his team created them on September 19, 1982. They were working in a chat system. They needed a way to clarify the meaning of text messages. Without body language or tone, it was hard to tell if a message was sarcastic, funny, or insulting. Fahlmann’s solution solved this problem.
Studies show that people who use emojis are perceived as more sympathetic. Messages without them can seem cold or dismissive. Emoticons changed chat culture by adding necessary context.
1963: The Smiley Predecessor
Fahlmann’s text symbols were inspired by the Smiley. Harvey Ball designed the classic yellow circle with two dots for eyes and a curved mouth in 1963. The State Mutual Insurance Company commissioned Ball. They wanted a symbol to boost employee morale.
The yellow face became iconic. Many modern emojis still use this yellow color scheme. It is a direct visual lineage from Ball’s original design.
1700 BC: The Ancient Smiley?
The desire to express happiness with a simple face goes back much further. Archaeologists found a drinking vessel in Karkamis, Turkey. The artifact dates back to 1700 BC. It features two dots above a half-circle.
It looks like a smiley face. The bronze-age artist’s intent is unknown. Did they mean to show joy? Anger? We cannot be sure. But it stands as the oldest known smiley face artifact in history.
From ancient pottery to modern Unicode codes, the need to express ourselves visually is constant. The technology changes. The human desire to show emotion does not. We keep adding more faces. More tears. More hearts. The list grows. What will we send next week? Probably something that looks like a laughing face with tears.
