New Animal Emojis Incoming? Flamingo and Otter Proposed 🤔
Two new animals have been proposed for inclusion in the Unicode emoji standard: the otter emoji and the flamingo emoji.
Two new animal emojis have been proposed
Animal lovers are not short of emoji messaging options; in fact, animals represent one of the widest emoji selections currently available. But the zoo looks set to expand even further with the proposal of a flamingo and otter emoji. What can we expect from these potential new symbols?
Otter Emoji
The cute and cuddly otter makes a compelling case to join the animal emoji roster. The proposal states that while there are 10 or so fish and crustaceans, aquatic mammals are currently not represented. And with its distinct brown colouring and shape, this emoji would be sure to stand out.
In terms of usage, the document suggests that due to the otters habit of holding hands with other otters, this symbol would represent friendship, love and companionship. Stringing two otters together in a sequenced message for example would represent hugging or cuddling
The proposal also highlights the word play potential for an otter emoji - mentioning popular puns like “otterly amazing” and “my significant otter”. Popularity wise, the otter seems like an attractive choice among social media users. A Monterey Aquarium Twitter poll of 1500 users titled “what ocean animal emoji people want next” had 56% voting for the otter.
Flamingo Emoji
Most associated with tropical vacations, the flamingo could join a flock of bird emojis that includes the chicken and eagle. Due to the bright pink colour of the bird however, the flamingo could also serve a variety of other uses including representing femininity and even indicating the weather.
Sequencing examples include using the symbol alongside pink items to indicate the expression “pretty in pink” or even as a slang expression such as “what the flock”. The proposal highlights the fact that this animal is heavily requested with 18,761 people registering interest in a flamingo emoji. A Twitter screen grab was also shown with many users requesting the emoji alongside the hastag #wherestheflamingoemoji.
If approved, these new animals would join recent additions like raccoon, kangaroo and lobster - all of which are included in the latest release of emoji.
