I have at least an instance a day where I can't explain whatever the fuck is going on in my pretty little head. And though I'm IN PART to blame for not being able to form a coherent thought, some culpability has to land on the public school system because… what was that? A whole 12 years and I still can't think properly??? Fucked up. Anyways, back to being brain-dead, sometimes I simply can't find the words and that's when emojis swoop in to save the day. I can just use a lil icon to do the articulation for me. INSANE. So, all of that was to say, I've been using emojis a lot and I wanted to write an article about it – so here's an article on emoji lore and more.
The emoticon was the precursor to the emoji.
Emoji Lore
If I really wanted to, I could go all the way back to 9000 BCE when ancient civilizations came up with the idea of using drawn pictures to communicate, but in the interest of time (both mine and yours), I'm fast forwarding to the '90s when the emoji, as we know it today, was in its infancy.
I'm guessing the story starts off something like this. A skinny, nerdy-looking dude living in his mom's basement turns on his computer and hops on this really cool new thing called the internet. He navigates to AOL and joins a Star Wars roleplay chatroom in hopes of channeling his inner Luke Skywalker. He waits and waits and waits until, finally, someone joins the same room. It's HorseGirlllCasey12 and she's down to assume the role of Leia. Then history happens. Basement-dweller-turned-jedi-master sends a cheeky “Hey Princess” followed by a “:” next to a “)” and the emoticon was born.
Now before we continue, I feel the need to state on the record that emoticons are NOT emojis. Emoticons are :) and >:( and :'-). They were the precursor to the emoji and they were <3 beloved <3 by chatroomers in the '90s. That said, they were limited in functionality. You could only create them using the available ASCII characters on your keyboard and, oftentimes, they were rotated 90 degrees making them difficult to read.
That all changed in 1999 when Shigetaka Kurita created a collection of 176 twelve-by-twelve pixel images he called “emojis” originating from the Japanese words “e” and “moji” which mean “picture” and “character”, respectively. Now, there was no need to get creative with keyboard characters or tilt your head, there were dedicated icons to replace whatever was being conveyed with emoticons 🥳
...& More (Underrated Emoji Rankings)
Emoji Lore ✅ Time for a deep dive into emoji usage. I know we all have our go-to emojis, but what I didn't know is that most of us have the same go-tos. These were the most popular emojis last year: 😂🤣❤️🙏😭😍✨🔥😊🥰. Out of the 3000+ emoji options, we choose THESE??? Guys… this is egregious. So, in hopes of spicing up the emoji rotation, I made a list of the top 10 most underrated emojis. Hope you can take something from it.
#10. Nut and Bolt 🔩
As evidenced above, we love simple and straightforward emoji, so I'm starting off the list with the nut and bolt emoji which, when taken literally, looks like a screw coming loose. Doesn't get more simple and straightforward than that. It's a top tier substitute for the word “crazy” and a perfect response to a text detailing the meltdown of a suburban mom realizing the family Christmas card ain't gonna happen this year because Shutterfly lost them.
#9. Ladder 🪜
We have the ladder coming in at number nine. This one requires a little more thought than the nut and bolt. Great way to summarize situations that aren't likely, but not impossible. Example here would be the likelihood of you pulling a baddie at the bar when you have nonexistent rizz.
#8. Violin 🎻
When I think of the violin emoji, I picture Mr. Crabs playing a baby violin for Squidward on that one Spongebob episode. Core memory. Iconic. Ever relevant. It's the perfect niche reference to subtly roast first-world problems.
#7. Person Juggling 🤹
Next we've got a person juggling. Great way to convey “I've got a lot going on at the moment” in a chill, slightly self-deprecating way… you just have to look at it in context. For starters, we've got this juggler juggling not three but FOUR balls – that's a lot to keep in the air at once and it's a nice nod to the stress of balancing multiple tasks. Then you look closer, and this person is not just a person, they're a clown. And you know what's clown, being too busy (especially when you bring it upon yourself). So, to all my cuffed brothers out there, when you're too busy to watch the game with the boys, this emoji or nothing.
#6. Nesting Dolls🪆
Sometimes someone else's shit hits the fan and you wonder how the hell it got to that point, so you start digging. And the more you dig, the more WILD shit you uncover. That's where the nesting doll emoji really shines – when the situation is L A Y E R E D. Imagine finding out your next door neighbor is getting divorced. Damn. She was cheating on him. DAMN. With another woman. DAMNNNNNNNN. Layers indeed.
#5. Wheelchair Symbol ♿
Ok because of the world we live in today, we need to start this one off with a disclaimer: only use this emoji with people who get the joke. This is not meant to be offensive.Just look at this emoji. There's an urgency to it and that urgency contrasted against the slowness of actually being in a wheelchair is RIPE for the comedic taking. You're in a hurry, drop a wheelchair in the chat. You're on the way, drop a wheelchair in the chat. You're zoomin around town, drop a wheelchair in the chat. Truly underrated and extremely versatile.
#4. Satellite 🛰️
Coming in at number four is the satellite. Had no idea this emoji existed until someone used it the other day, but it does, indeed, have potential. Suitable for getting status updates in a badass way. It makes life feel like a recon mission and you like James Bond getting intel. If you're in need of a character arc, give this one a go.
#3. Beaver 🦫
Beavers are rascals. They build dams and they know how to CHEW and make those nibblin' sounds, but they just aren't THAT animal. Like have you ever met anyone whose favorite animal is a beaver? No. For that reason, along with the word dam/damn, and chewing sounds, I use this lil guy when things don't work out the way I wanted them to and it makes complete and total sense in my brain. It's usually met with some initial confusion, but people eventually get behind it. A grower for sure, slept on nonetheless.
#2. Person Taking Bath 🛀
This world we live in. GOD it's shitty. And the people. They LOVE to hate and chirp and doubt. Sometimes it's best to just go about business as usual. Stay unbothered. Metaphorically speaking, it's best to take a bubble bath while everyone else is mudslinging and making themselves dirty in the process. Use this emoji the next time you couldn't give more of a fuck and I promise whoever is on the recieving end is going to respect it.
#1. Person In Suit Levitating 🕴️
The number one most underrated emoji is the person in a suit levitating. Sometimes people say something that is so motherfuckin' funny, that your soul leaves your body. That;s when you use this one. No further explanation. Just use it when it feels right. Promise it won't miss.
So there you have it. Emoji lore and more. Hope it was fun. Hope you learned something. And hope you got some new emojis cookin' in the rotation.
Til' Next Time,
The Monochrome Man