Today, July 17, is World Emoji Day. Love them or hate them, you have to admit that you’ve used them on more than one occasion. That’s because emojis are fun, universal and sometimes get points across that words just can’t. Nonetheless, emojis are here to stay. So, to celebrate the occasion, check out some of these fun facts about these little icons.
Fun Facts to Commemorate World Emoji Day
World Emoji Day Origins
World Emoji Day started, well, because of an emoji. If you look at the emoji keyboard on your phone, check out the calendar emoji. You might notice that the date on it, July 17, is the same as today, World Emoji Day. And that’s how today became the day—it’s really that simple.
Their Creation
Although they may seem like a modern creation, emojis have technically been around for more than 20 years. In 1999, Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita was searching for an interface to share information in a concise manner. To solve his issue, he created 176 original emojis, which can now be found in the New York Museum of Modern Art.
The Revamp
Emojis finally hit mainstream after a Google team petitioned the Unicode Consortium to recognize them in 2010. After that, they officially entered the Unicode Standard.
The Scale of Emojis
According to the Unicode Consortium, there are exactly 3,304 different kinds of emojis. That figure includes roughly 150 varieties of smiley faces and emotions, as well as 1,837 different emojis of people and the body.
Emoji Awards
While everyone has their favorite go-to emoji, there’s actually an official World Emoji Awards every year. In this competition, internet users from across the globe vote on several categories, including:
- Emoji of the Year
- Best New Emoji
- Excellence in Emoji Use
- Most Anticipated Emoji
Quick Stats
To round out World Emoji Day, check out some mind-blowing statistics about the prevalence of these icons:
- 95 percent of Internet users have used emojis
- Over 10 billion emojis are sent every day
- Roughly 36 percent of all Instagram posts contain between one to three emojis
Emojis are here, and they’re here for good. So, next time you use one, don’t forget these World Emoji Day fun facts!
