World Emoji Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on 17 July. The day is deemed a "global celebration of emoji" and is celebrated with emoji events and product releases. Celebrated annually since 2014, NBC reported that the day was Twitter's top trending item on 17 July in 2015. Go to Article
World Emoji Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on 17 July.[1][2] The day is deemed a "global celebration of emoji"[3] and is celebrated with emoji events and product releases.[4] Celebrated annually since 2014,[5]NBC reported that the day was Twitter's top trending item on 17 July in 2015.[6]
World Emoji Day is "the brainchild of Jeremy Burge"[7] according to CNBC which stated that the "London-based founder of Emojipedia created it" in 2014.[8]
The New York Times reported that Burge created this on 17 July "based on the way the calendar emoji is shown on iPhones".[9] For the first World Emoji Day, Burge told The Independent "there were no formal plans put in place"[10] other than choosing the date. The Washington Post suggested in 2018 that readers use this day to "communicate with only emoji."[11]
On World Emoji Day 2015, Pepsi launched PepsiMoji which included an emoji keyboard and custom World Emoji Day Pepsi cans and bottles.[14] These were initially released in Canada and expanded to 100 markets in 2016.[15]
In 2017, Apple celebrated World Emoji Day by announcing its new emojis on iOS,[22][23] London's Royal Opera House presented 20 operas and ballets in emoji form,[24] Google announced the end of its "blob emojis"[25] and winners of the World Emoji Awards[26] were announced[27] from the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange and broadcast on Cheddar.[28]
In 2018, Kim Kardashian released her Kimoji fragrance line on World Emoji Day,[29][30]Apple previewed new emoji designs including redheads [31][32]and replaced executive photos on its corporate leadership page with emojis,[33] Google announced the return of "blob emojis" in sticker form,[34] and Facebook announced "700 million emojis are used in Facebook posts each day".[35]
In 2016 Twitter noted that Australia's "emoji-loving" Foreign Minister Julie Bishop[47] shares her birthday with World Emoji Day.[48][49][50]
In 2017 US House Speaker Paul Ryan released a video on World Emoji Day claiming he "goes crazy on emojis"[51] which was widely criticized.[52][53]
In 2018, AdWeek reported that social media posts from the United States Department of Defense, Army and Navy seemed like "an odd fit for the breezy joys" of World Emoji Day,[54] while other outlets called these "weird"[55] and "the most terrible bastardization of an emoji".[56]