emoji

G.I. Woe: Mattel's Flushin' Frenzy sends a brown plastic poop flying into the air. It's pictured above at Toy Fair in New York in February 2018.

Arts

Who Cares About The No. 1 Toy When You Could Have No. 2?

7:55am November 29, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

The market remains flush with toys that poop: Gotta Go Flamingo, Poopsie Slime Surprise, Doggie Doo, Fishin' For Floaters. "It's a very light taboo," says Mary Higbe of Goliath Games.

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Stickers designed by Grebet depict a local musician (left), and a woman wearing a traditional head scarf.

The Emoji Designer Who's Bringing African Culture To Smartphone Keyboards

9:29am January 08, 2020

by Pien Huang

O'Plerou Grebet, a graphic design student from Ivory Coast, created over 360 emojis depicting different facets of African life, from the djembe drum to a henna-dyed hand.

Venmo is used to pay or request money from other people on the app. Every transaction has a memo line, and the app suggests emoji instead of words like "rent," "pizza," and "wine."

Economy

As Payments Go Social With Venmo, They're Changing Personal Relationships

9:13am February 26, 2019

by Daniella Cheslow

More people are using mobile money apps to pay each other without cash. With Venmo, its social network is a key part of the payment process, and it's changing people's behavior in unexpected ways.

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The red drop of blood (left) was designated as an official emoji to symbolize menstruation, among other things, this year. The design at right, submitted in 2017, was not accepted.

Why Period Activists Think The 'Drop Of Blood' Emoji Is A Huge Win

2:48pm February 08, 2019

by Malaka Gharib

The nonprofit group Plan International UK has been lobbying for an emoji to represent menstruation since 2017. And now they have one — although not everyone is a fan of the design.

Who Knew The World Bank And The U.N. Are Emoji Lovers?

9:48am July 19, 2018

by Sara Kiley Watson

Charities and nonprofit agencies are embracing the symbols to communicate about tough topics like global hunger, poverty and disease.

Beyoncé performs at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 12. "Instead of me telling someone how good I look, I can just send them a picture of Beyoncé in a queen's outfit," Youth Radio's Robert Fisher says.

Music & Culture

What This Picture Of Beyoncé Tells Us About How Generation Z Connects

9:01pm December 04, 2017

Why talk when you can say it with an emoji or a GIF? "Instead of me telling someone how good I look, I can just send them a picture of Beyoncé in a queen's outfit," Youth Radio's Robert Fisher says.

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If A Pile Of Poo Has An Emoji, Shouldn't A Mosquito Have One Too?

10:29am October 18, 2017

by Courtney Columbus

There are 2,666 emojis for tweeting and texting. A mosquito is not one of them. Global health campaigners are trying to change that.

Arts

A Brief History Of Food Emoji: Why You Won't Find Hummus On Your Phone

7:00am December 28, 2016

by Laura Oliver

There are burgers and sushi, and even the salacious eggplant, but where are the dumplings and salad? Creating a more culturally diverse menu of food emoji is harder than you think.

On its latest operating system, iOS 10, Apple has replaced its pistol emoji with this icon of a green water gun.

National

Apple Ditches Pistol Emoji In Favor Of Water Gun

12:47pm August 02, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

The pistol emoji will be replaced with a green water gun icon, and Apple is also adding new emojis of a pride flag, families with single parents, and women playing sports.

This graphic shows how the same emoji is interpreted on different platforms.

Lost In Translation: Study Finds Interpretation Of Emojis Can Vary Widely

6:35pm April 12, 2016

by Eyder Peralta

That sweaty smiley face emoji may be positive to some of your friends and negative to others. And depending on who you're texting it may appear entirely different on their device.