New emoji include a cracking face, a meteor and a butterfly that symbolizes resilience
The Unicode Consortium has revealed nine new emoji ahead of World Emoji Day, including a cracking face and a meteor, which will arrive on devices by next spring.
New emoji include a cracking face, a meteor and a butterfly that symbolizes resilience
Jennifer Daniel, chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, has offered a preview of nine new emoji that will be available to users by next spring. The announcement comes ahead of World Emoji Day on July 17.
One of the most notable additions is the “Cracking Face” – a smiling face that crumbles apart, representing a facade of positivity behind which one is not okay. This emoji replaces the previously planned “Face with Squinting Eyes,” which the Unicode Technical Committee accepted last October but swapped in January for the cracking face, deemed more fitting for current times.
Also on the list is a Meteor, depicted as a flaming meatball. Daniel notes a clear distinction between the Comet (an existing emoji that appears as an icy rock) and the Meteor: comets streak harmlessly across the sky, while meteors wipe out dinosaurs. With the arrival of the Meteor, the Comet will revert to an icy blue look on many devices.
Other new emoji include an Eraser, a Net With Handle, and a Monarch Butterfly. The latter aims to resolve confusion with the existing Morpho butterfly – depending on the phone, users might have been texting a Monarch while seeing a Morpho. The Monarch carries a narrative of generational resilience, endurance, and deep ancestral memory, while the Morpho remains the symbol for “pretty aesthetics.”
Additional emoji are a Lighthouse, two thumbs pointing left and right (handy for jokes or references), and a Pickle. Daniel emphasized that each emoji has its own intended meaning and context.
