Classic ASCII keyboard emoticons from the dawn of internet communication, refreshed for modern chat.
On September 19, 1982, computer scientist Scott Fahlman posted a historic message on the Carnegie Mellon University bulletin board: "I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers: :-) Read it sideways." With that single post, the modern emoticon was born, solving the perennial challenge of conveying humor and tone across text-based communication.
Unlike Japanese kaomoji that read upright, traditional Western emoticons require the reader to tilt their head 90 degrees to the left. The punctuation layout mirrors human facial features: colons or semicolons for eyes, optional hyphens for noses, and parentheses or brackets for mouths.
Quick answers about copying, compatibility, and using text faces on Discord, TikTok, and mobile.
Computer scientist Scott Fahlman proposed the smiley :-) and frown :-( on September 19, 1982 at Carnegie Mellon University.
Emoticons are typographic combinations created using standard keyboard punctuation (like :-) or XD). Emojis are standardized graphical images coded into modern Unicode font libraries (like 😀).