Rerun: The first ever emoji set, including the earliest incarnations of 🍷, ❤️, and 💩, was released in Japan on 1st November, 1997. But the only users could send and receive them were owners of a now-forgotten ‘SkyWalker’ handset made by J-Phone. ☹️
Emoji didn’t truly transform written communication in the West until some fourteen years later, when emoji ke ... Show More
Mar 4
John Lennon's Jesus Controversy
John Lennon's controversial statement that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus was first published in the London Evening Standard on 4th March, 1966. The reporter, Maureen Cleave, documented the eccentricities of Lennon's life and his dissatisfaction with fame and wealth; hi ... Show More
12m 39s
Jul 2023
Creating the first emoji
In 1999, Japanese software developer Shigetaka Kurita created the first emoji. The umbrella was one of 176 original images, featuring weather, transport signs, numbers and emotions.He was inspired after noticing the popularity of a pager, aimed at teenagers, that used a heart sym ... Show More
9m 12s
Jul 2025
Why You Owe Your Life to Bugs & The Fascinating Rise of the Emoji
While people may not point it out to you when you use the wrong word – they DO notice. This episode begins by setting the record straight on the right words to use that people commonly get wrong. For instance, when do you use take or bring, further or farther, ironic or coinciden ... Show More
50m 32s
Jun 2025
Rage Bait Or Marketing Genius?
The boys discuss the best emoticons, Nick Sparks' (of Black. White. fame) TikTok videos, Brendan Abernathy ("You'll be married in a year in the suburbs"), and where cringe comes from. Submit a question for a new Pen Palz: Advice segment! Over 100 Bonus Episodes: Sad Boyz Ni ... Show More
1h 16m
<p>We send 10 billion of them every day. Where do they come from? Zachary Crockett hearts this topic.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.emojination.org/who-we-are">Jennifer 8. Lee</a>, co-founder of Emojination.</li></ul></li></ul><p> </p><u ... Show More
