Over 200 New Emojis Coming Including One That Perfectly Sums Up 2020

It's fair to say this year has been pretty mind-boggling, so it makes sense that we'd be getting a whole host of new emojis to perfectly represent 2020.

Although they won't be arriving until 2021, the Unicode Consortium (which is responsible for new releases) has announced 217 new emojis, much to the delight of fans.

The Unicode Consortium had previously revealed there would be no new emojis until 2022 (due to the pandemic) but it seems the new batch is a "minor release" to see us through until the following year.

The Unicode Consortium)

So, what are the new emojis?!

Well, they're pretty accurate for 2020, with a heart wrapped in a bandage, a face exhaling, a heart on fire, a head in the clouds and a spiral eyes emoji.

There will also be a gender neutral person with a beard - with a variety of different skin tone options.

A huge 200 out of the 217 new emojis will be dedicated to including different skin tone options for both the kiss emoji and the 'couple with the heart' emoji.

Currently, there's only the original yellow option for both, but the 2021 emoji update will change that.

The Unicode Consortium)

Announcing the news on Twitter, The Unicode Consortium wrote: "Have no fear, new #emoji will be here (Soon. Well, soonish. Widely available in 2021).

"2021 will usher in a few new smileys (like an exhaling face), a couple of hearts (including one on fire), and additional skin tone support for many multi-person groupings.

"With #Unicode14 delayed due to COVID-19, this is a minor #emoji release. It is also bit of a change from recent years where announcements have been made between January and March, and landing on platforms by September/October.

"The Unicode Consortium is a volunteer organization and we would be completely without new #emoji until 2022 if it weren't due to the dedication of many volunteers who made this possible. Thank you everyone, you know who you are."

We've got a feeling we'll be using that spiral eyes emoji rather a lot...

Topics: News, Technology

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine