Hey there! I’m Craig, and today we’re diving into a fun topic: where emojis came from. Let’s explore this colorful world together!
Before emojis, there were emoticons. These were simple faces made using punctuation marks. The first known example appeared in an 1881 issue of Puck magazine. There might have been earlier instances, but we’re not sure if they were intentional or just printing mistakes. Imagine a winky face in an old book being just a smudge!
Emoticons became part of computer language in 1982 and were widely used by the 2000s. They were a fun way to express emotions using just a keyboard.
Emojis are different from emoticons because they’re small images, not just symbols. They first became popular in Japan. The word “emoji” comes from the Japanese words “e” (meaning “image”) and “moji” (meaning “character”).
Shigetaka Kurita is credited with creating the first emojis. He worked for a company called DoCoMo in the 1990s. Kurita and his team were developing a mobile internet platform called i-mode. They had already added a heart symbol to their keyboards, so creating a whole set of emojis seemed like the next step.
Initially, DoCoMo wanted to hire another company to design the emojis, but they decided to do it themselves. Kurita and his team created 176 emojis, each 12×12 pixels in size. They drew inspiration from Japanese art forms like manga. These emojis were included in i-mode and later DoCoMo phones. By 2006, 6.5 million people were using i-mode, and emojis were becoming a big hit.
Kurita believed emojis became popular because they helped people express emotions quickly. In Japan, people were used to writing long letters, so emojis made communication faster and more fun.
As emojis gained popularity, more companies started creating their own versions. However, this meant that emojis might not look the same on different phones. In 2007, Google decided to add emojis and worked with a company to make sure they appeared the same on all devices.
Today, the Unicode Consortium manages the code points for emojis. This organization sets the rules for how emojis appear on major platforms like Apple, Microsoft, and Google.
Thanks for joining me on this emoji adventure! If you have any big questions you’d like answered, feel free to ask. See you next time!
Imagine you’re living in the 1980s and only have a keyboard to express your emotions. Use punctuation marks to create your own set of emoticons. Share them with your classmates and see if they can guess the emotions you’re trying to convey!
Channel your inner Shigetaka Kurita and design a new set of emojis. Think about what emotions or objects are missing from current emojis and create a few of your own. Present your designs to the class and explain why you chose them.
Write a short story using only emojis. Once you’re done, swap stories with a partner and try to interpret each other’s tales. This will help you understand how emojis can be used to communicate complex ideas.
Create a timeline that traces the history of emojis from their origins as emoticons to their global popularity today. Use images and text to highlight key events and figures, such as Shigetaka Kurita and the Unicode Consortium.
Participate in a class debate about the impact of emojis on communication. Are they enhancing our ability to express emotions, or are they oversimplifying language? Prepare your arguments and listen to different perspectives.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m Craig, and this is a Mental Floss video. Today, I’m going to answer Emily’s big question: Where did emojis come from? Let’s get started!
Let’s start by talking about emoticons, which were the predecessors to emojis. In an 1881 issue of Puck magazine, there was the first known intentional example of expressive faces made out of punctuation. There were a few instances of these appearing in print before then, but we don’t know for sure if they were intentional or just typos. For example, in the Bible, when it says, “Let there be light,” a winky face might have just been a little smudge on the page. We don’t know for sure.
Emoticons have maintained a presence in text since then and were incorporated into computer language as early as 1982. By the 2000s, they were quite common. Emojis are a little different because they’re not made out of punctuation or symbols you can type; they’re small images designed by someone. We don’t know exactly who created them, but they first gained popularity in Japan. In fact, the “e” in emoji can be translated to “image,” and “moji” means “character” in Japanese.
A man named Shigetaka Kurita gets credit for inventing emojis. He worked for the company DoCoMo in the 1990s and was part of a team developing a mobile internet platform known as i-mode. The company had already seen success with adding a heart symbol to the keyboard of its pages, so developing a set of emojis for i-mode was the next logical step.
Initially, DoCoMo hoped to outsource the creation of emojis to a larger company, but they eventually decided to do the designs themselves. Kurita and his team designed 176 12×12 pixel emojis, drawing inspiration from other Japanese art forms like manga. These emojis were loaded into i-mode and future DoCoMo phones. By 2006, 6.5 million people were using i-mode, and emojis grew in popularity.
One reason Kurita believes the trend took off is that Japanese people were adapting slowly to technology when it came to language and communication. They were accustomed to writing long letters, so having little symbols to convey emotions was helpful. Emojis made communication less wordy, which is something I struggle with. I tend to talk a bit too much; I should probably use emojis more often because it would help me say fewer words.
More companies started developing their own sets of emojis, which meant that if you had a different cell phone provider than one of your friends, it wasn’t guaranteed that they’d receive the emojis in your texts. In 2007, there was a turning point when Google decided to add emojis. They teamed up with a company to coordinate code points, which make it possible for emojis to appear the same regardless of platform or device.
Nowadays, the Unicode Consortium is responsible for the code points of the emojis we all use on our phones and social media. The Unicode Consortium basically sets the keyboard rules for every major company, including Apple, Microsoft, and Google.
Thanks for watching this Mental Floss video, which was made with the help of all these emotional icons. If you have a big question of your own that you’d like answered, leave it below in the comments. See you next time!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Emoticons – Symbols created using keyboard characters to express emotions in digital communication. – In the early days of the internet, people often used emoticons like :-) to show they were happy.
Emojis – Small digital images or icons used to express ideas or emotions in electronic communication. – Emojis have become a popular way to add emotion to text messages, with a smiley face often used to show happiness.
Japan – An East Asian country known for its rich history and technological advancements. – Japan has been a leader in technology, introducing many innovations like high-speed trains and advanced robotics.
Kurita – Shigetaka Kurita, the designer who created the first set of emojis in the late 1990s. – Kurita’s original set of 176 emojis laid the foundation for the vast array of emojis we use today.
Docomo – A major Japanese telecommunications company that played a key role in the development of mobile technology. – NTT Docomo was the first to introduce emojis on their mobile phones, revolutionizing digital communication.
Internet – A global network of computers that allows people to access and share information worldwide. – The internet has transformed how we communicate, making it possible to connect with people across the globe instantly.
Communication – The exchange of information between people through speaking, writing, or using some other medium. – With the advent of smartphones, digital communication has become faster and more convenient than ever before.
Unicode – A computing industry standard for consistent encoding and representation of text across different platforms and devices. – Unicode ensures that emojis and other characters appear the same on all devices, no matter where they are used.
Pixels – The smallest unit of a digital image or graphic that can be displayed and edited on a digital display. – Early emojis were designed with just a few pixels, making them simple yet effective in conveying emotions.
Manga – A style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at both adults and children. – Manga has become popular worldwide, with many stories being adapted into animated series and films.
