Docomo
Docomo
1999 - 02 January 1999
The first emoji set from Japanese carrier Docomo (styled NTT DoCoMo in 1999). One of the most successful early emoji sets due to its use on multiple devices. Designed by Japanese interface designer Shigetaka Kurita, these minimalistic graphics were used on multiple devices, and evolved to a vector graphic implementaiton in 2013.
Commonly cited as the first emoji set, it is more accurate to deem this one of the first emoji sets. An emoji implementation from competing Japanese carrier Softbank predated this set with a 1997 emoji release.
Note: Each emoji has been mapped to its modern Unicode codepoint, despite this set existing prior to Unicode emoji standardization.
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Emoji Playground (Emoji Games & Creation Tools)
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Hands On With iOS 26's Genmoji Mixes
Earlier this week, Apple unveiled iOS 26 and released its first developer beta. The beta introduces new options for Genmoji, including the ability to use emojis as prompts to create new "mixes".

Gen Z’s Chaotic, Ironic Emoji Swapping Meme
TikTok users are ditching “mainstream” emojis for often absurdist alternatives in meme-ified movements designed to confuse, amuse, and divide the in-group from the rest.

Docomo Emoji Set To Be Officially Discontinued
This week, it was announced that Docomo’s emoji designs will no longer appear on any of the Japanese mobile network’s devices. This marks the end of an emoji era that first began in 1999, even though the set hasn't been updated since 2013.