Who invented emojis?

Do you really know?
Jan 29, 2026 5 min
Who invented emojis?
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About this episode

We all know them and use them; so today let’s celebrate them. World Emoji Day falls on 17th July. Yes that’s right, a day has been set aside for honouring the little pictograms we use to brighten up our digital messaging exchanges. You can find them in emails, messaging apps, and on social media. Everywhere really. But we’re so used to them that we don’t really think about who created them to start with, or how new ones emerge these days. So what’s the difference between an emoticon, a smiley and an emoji then? Where do new emojis come from? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions ! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠⁠What is brain tapping, the viral technique for improving sleep quality?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠What is the half and half drinking method?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠How can heatwaves impact our mental health?⁠⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 18/7/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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