Draft Emoji List for 2025/2026 Revealed: A Look at History, Impact, and Future Trends
The History and Evolution of Emojis
The journey of emojis began in the late 1990s when Shigetaka Kurita, a Japanese designer, created the first set of 176 simple pixelated images for NTT DoCoMo’s pager service. These icons were designed to convey emotions and ideas concisely, revolutionizing how people communicated in a text-based world. Over the years, emojis evolved from simple yellow faces to a rich tapestry of expressions, objects, and symbols, integrating deeply into modern culture.
Today, emojis are not just communication tools but also cultural artifacts reflecting diversity, trends, and societal changes. They serve as a universal language, transcending linguistic barriers and enabling users worldwide to express themselves in creative and relatable ways.
Draft Emoji List for 2025/2026
Unicode, the organization responsible for standardizing text across digital platforms, recently unveiled the draft list of emojis for Emoji 17.0, potentially coming to our keyboards in late 2025. This update includes 164 new emojis, such as a distorted smiley face, an orca, a treasure chest, ballet dancers, and a Big Foot-inspired “hairy creature.”
Some highlights from the proposed list include:
- Distorted Face: Inspired by Google’s Emoji Kitchen designs, adding a playful twist to expressions.
- Fight Cloud: A nod to comic book tropes, representing chaos or conflict.
- Ballet Dancer: A tribute to the elegance of dance, supporting all standard skin tone modifiers.
- Orca: A “killer whale” emoji that could be popular among marine enthusiasts.
- Hairy Creature: Paying homage to mythical cryptids like Big Foot.
These designs were developed in Google’s Noto Color Emoji style, under the leadership of Jennifer Daniel, chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee.
The Broader Impact of Emojis
Emojis have reshaped digital communication by adding emotional depth and nuance to otherwise flat text. They bridge gaps in tone and intention, making messages more engaging and relatable. Their influence extends beyond personal communication, playing a significant role in marketing, branding, and even activism. For example, emojis like 🌍, 🌱, and ♻️ are frequently used in environmental campaigns to spread awareness.
Moreover, emojis have become symbols of inclusion and diversity. Unicode’s efforts to add skin tone modifiers, gender variations, and culturally significant symbols demonstrate a commitment to representation in the digital space.
Future Trends and Challenges
As technology advances, the emoji ecosystem continues to evolve. By September 2025, when Emoji 17.0 is expected to be approved, features like Apple’s Genmoji (a generative AI-based tool for creating personalized emoji-like images) and Samsung’s rumored AI sticker generator could redefine how users interact with emojis. These tools may blur the lines between Unicode-recommended emojis and user-generated content, potentially expanding the “emoji-like” universe to millions of unique images.
However, challenges remain. Standardizing emojis across platforms, ensuring accessibility, and avoiding cultural misinterpretations require ongoing effort. Unicode’s role in maintaining balance between innovation and inclusivity will be crucial as emojis grow more complex.
When Will These Emojis Be Available?
If approved in September 2025, vendors like Apple, Google, and Samsung will integrate these emojis into their systems by late 2025 or early 2026. Historically, all publicly listed draft emojis since 2017 have been approved, making it highly likely that these 164 additions will join the current set of 3,790 Unicode-recommended emojis, bringing the total to 3,954.
Final Thoughts
Emojis are more than just tiny pictures—they are a cultural phenomenon shaping the way we connect and express ourselves. From their humble beginnings to their current status as a global language, emojis continue to adapt to the needs of an ever-changing digital world. The proposed additions for 2025/2026 promise to enrich our communication toolkit further, while upcoming technologies like Genmoji hint at an even more dynamic future for visual expression.
