Here’s a Sneak Peek at the Next Batch of Emoji Coming to Your Devices.

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What’s up, friends? It’s World Emoji Day, which means it’s time to take a look at the new emoji (or emoji?). In a blog post today, the Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit behind the standardized set of emoji you see on all your devices and apps, unveiled its next set of icons and expressions. The group says there’s still “a lot of paperwork” to do on these, so they might not show up on your phones and tablets until 2026, according to an email Unicode’s Eric Thompson sent to The Verge .

But what a selection this is: We have a musical instrument. We have treasure. We have one of those old cartoon clouds to battle. And of course, we have a cryptid. While new emojis have been surprisingly political in the past, this update seems more focused on appealing to the public, and I’d say it’s doing a pretty good job of it.

The list below does not represent all the information from the final version of Unicode 17.0, but here is what we know so far:

  • Trombone

  • Treasure Chest

  • Distorted face

  • Hairy creature

  • Fight with the cloud

  • Apple Core

  • Killer whale

  • Ballet dancers

Source: Unicode Consortium

My personal favorite might be the Orca (I’m a cetacean lover), but I want to point out “Distorted Face” in particular. It looks like an extreme 0.5x selfie , but if you watch anime , you’ve probably seen it before — it’s very similar to that top-down fisheye close-up that a lot of directors use to show a character having a nervous breakdown. So, you know, use it when the fast food restaurant forgets your fries or something. It’s also worth saying what we’re all thinking: yes, “Hairy Thing” is Bigfoot, right down to the pose. I’m not sure there would be any copyright issues with a character like that (it’s supposed to be in the public domain, but “Bigfoot” is also a brand), but this wouldn’t be the first time the Unicode Consortium has been intentionally vague about a reference. For example, the Goblin emoji actually depicts a Tengu mask, a real part of Japanese culture that itself represents a creature from Japanese folklore.

What do you think at the moment?

And then there are the Ballerinas. We only see one in the preview, but given how emoji have symbolized various professions and hobbies in the past, we’ll likely see multiple versions of this basic design at launch.

In the meantime, the Unicode Consortium is encouraging you to submit your own emoji proposals. Just keep in mind that it may take some time to get your idea approved, and you’ll have to wade through a mountain of paperwork first.

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