The New 2020 Emojis Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For

On Wednesday, Unicode Consortium, the governing body of emojis—okay, that's not their official title, but that's pretty much what they are—released a list of the new emojis of 2020: 117 brand-new icons that you can expect to hit your phone later this year. The additions include bubble tea, more gender-inclusive humans, a gravestone, a slightly jarring pair of lungs, and a placard that appears to read "Cash Only" (sure?), along with a small zoo's worth of new animals.

The new collection of icons continues Unicode Consortium's push towards greater diversity in its symbols. Finally, a transgender flag and a transgender symbol have been added, as well as gender-nonconforming people that are simply (and refreshingly) described as "person"  (opens in new tab)by Unicode Consortium—"person with veil," for example, or "person feeding baby." There's also a new Santa Claus that doesn't present as specifically male or female—"Mx Claus, (opens in new tab)" as Unicode Consortium describes it. We also have a piñata, nesting dolls, bubble tea, and tamale. Plus, there's also a sweet new emoji of two people of indiscriminate sex or gender hugging. (opens in new tab)

Unicode Consortium have also trotted out the usual gift of new animal emojis—this time round, we have a beaver, a bison, a woolly mammoth, a polar bear, a dodo, and a black cat that Unicode Consortium describes as "unlucky" (opens in new tab) (oof).

My personal favorite? The teapot. (I'm from England; I don't make the rules.)

There's also this—a "smiling face with tear," apparently, which is meant to be "grateful" or "touched" but looks like its pleading for help with its eyes, to me.

Also, this oddly realistic pair of lungs. I don't know if we needed this one, but you do you, Unicode Consortium, I guess.

Here's a bison. Fun fact: I did not know this is what a bison looked like.

Okay, this one is good.

Tamale!

A gender-neutral person wearing a veil:

Who suggested a cockroach? I do not need a cockroach.

A "hook" emoji (yeah, I already know how this is going to be used):

The long-awaited, much-needed transgender flag.

The hug!

Mx. Claus! (A month too late for this one, but sure! There's always next year!)

You can see the rest of the new emojis here (opens in new tab).

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