World Emoji Day

World Emoji Day History

The main purpose of World Emoji Day in Australia is to celebrate the popularity and usefulness of emojis in modern communication. The day encourages people to use emojis to express themselves and connect with others across digital platforms.

The first World Emoji Day was established in 2014 by Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia. It initially started as an online celebration on social media, but its popularity quickly grew. In Australia, the day is marked by various events and activities, such as social media competitions, emoji-themed parties, and exhibitions showcasing the history and evolution of emojis. The day also serves as an opportunity for people to learn more about the world of emojis and their impact on daily communication.

The history of emojis dates back to the late 1990s, when the first set of Japanese emojis was created by Shigetaka Kurita. These simple images were designed to add emotional context to text messages, and they quickly gained popularity in Japan before spreading across the world. Today, emojis are widely used across digital platforms, and they have become an important part of modern communication. World Emoji Day is observed annually on July 17th.

Top 10 Facts for 2026 World Emoji Day in Australia

• The 2026 observance falls on a Friday, making it a prime day for digital engagement and peak social media activity for consumer brands across Australia.
• Marketing professionals often utilize the 2026 date to launch creative, emoji-only campaigns, as the day is widely recognized as a low-stakes opportunity for brands to showcase personality and build rapport.
• The date is chosen specifically to match the 📅 Calendar Emoji, which displays July 17 as a nod to the 2002 debut of the iCal desktop application.
• World Emoji Day is an unofficial international holiday intended to celebrate the role of emojis as a universal digital language that transcends traditional text-based communication.
• The observance was established in 2014 by Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia, the primary online resource for tracking emoji updates and definitions.
• Emojis originated in Japan during the late 1990s, when designer Shigetaka Kurita created a set of 176 pictographs for the NTT Docomo mobile platform to help users express emotions in plain text.
• In 2015, the 'Face with Tears of Joy' (😂) emoji reached a milestone by being named the Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries, the first time a pictograph ever received the title.
• The Museum of Modern Art in New York further cemented the cultural significance of these icons by adding the original 1999 NTT Docomo emoji set to its permanent collection.
• Australians have a high rate of emoji usage, with studies showing that a majority of users find these icons more effective than words alone for expressing thoughts, feelings, and maintaining social connections.
• Beyond mere recreation, the day serves as a platform for global technology companies, such as Apple and Google, to announce updates, new additions, or refinements to emoji character sets.

In the News and Trending in Australia for World Emoji Day

Top things to do in Australia for World Emoji Day

• Use emojis today. Whoever you text or message today, be sure to add in some emojis. They may even respond with some of their own.
• Listen to Jonathan Mann's World Emoji Day Anthem. It is a fun tune written and produced by Mann that celebrates emojis.
• Explore the Australian Emoji Exhibition. This virtual exhibition showcases the history and evolution of emojis in Australia and is accessible from anywhere.
• Read Smileys vs. Emoticons: The Symbolic Language of Emojis in Australia by Lauren Rosewarne