The Weirdest Emoji Unicode Has Ever Approved

Not every emoji proposal is an obvious crowd-pleaser like a new heart color or a popular food. Some of the stranger approvals reveal just how specific — and occasionally odd — the review process can get.

🪠 (Plunger) made it into the standard despite being, by most accounts, one of the least glamorous household objects imaginable — proof that everyday utility can outweigh charm in the approval process.

🫠 (Melting Face) was added specifically to capture a very particular modern feeling: the mix of awkwardness, heat, and being emotionally overwhelmed that existing faces didn't quite cover, and it became popular almost immediately after release.

🛼 (Roller Skate) exists as its own dedicated emoji, distinct from ice skates or regular shoes, reflecting how specific some proposals get once a strong enough case (and community petition) is made for them.

🫏 (Donkey) took years to get its own dedicated emoji despite donkeys being common working animals worldwide for centuries, a reminder that 'obvious' inclusion isn't always how the review process actually plays out — the queue is long, and proposals compete for a limited number of new slots each cycle.

If the review process itself interests you more than the odd results, our companion piece on how new emoji actually get approved walks through the Unicode Consortium's full submission and selection process.

For more unusual entries worth a second look, browse the Objects and Animals & Nature categories directly — both have a surprising number of hyper-specific emoji that never made headlines but clearly cleared the same bar as Melting Face 🫠 and Plunger 🪠 did.