Emoticons: Entertain
Though still unknown to most people in the world in the early 1980s, the Internet was already a familiar mode of
communication in scientific, military, and academic circles. Electronic mail and bulletin boards were commonplace
in computer labs. So were sarcastic posts, misinterpretations, and "flame wars"—lengthy, threaded arguments over
matters of disagreement.
Then on September 19, 1982, Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Scott Fahlman, in response to recent
discussions about labeling messages as lighthearted, sarcastic, or serious, suggested the ASCII combinations
:-) and :-( ...within months, the symbols, and dozens of
variations, had found their way around the world.
Once thought lost to digital history, Dr. Fahlman's original message was recently retrieved from backup tapes of
the original bulletin board. His suggestion reads:
19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :-)
From: Scott E Fahlman (Fahlman at Cmu-20c)
I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:
:-)
Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark
things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use
:-(
Since that first post, which Dr. Fahlman humbly maintains is undisputed as the progenitor of modern "emoticons"
(he allows that the symbols may have been "discovered" before), thousands of variations have proliferated on the
World Wide Web. The following table represents but a slice of the many entertaining interpretations:
| :-6 |
eating something spicy |
|
S:-) |
happy person with curly
hair |
| ;-<> |
I-want-to-kiss-you |
|
:-(E |
sloppy eater |
| :-@ |
screaming / swearing |
|
:o) |
smiley with a big nose |
| XD |
laughing hilariously |
|
:z |
sick |
| >8D |
evil or crazed laughter |
|
<:-) |
conehead |
| 8-) |
wearing sunglasses |
|
|8-) |
unibrow |
| |-I |
asleep |
|
-=#:-)\ |
wizard with wand |
| =:~> |
bunny |
|
&-) |
stoned |
| <:3)~~~~ |
mouse |
|
~</:-) |
party (hat) smiley |
| {:V |
duck |
|
:-X |
my lips are sealed |
| :> |
baby bird |
|
:-o^^^^: |
after zippering your fly too fast |
| ]:(:)) |
happy cow |
|
:-S |
tongue twister |
| ]:(:)( |
sad cow |
|
%~} |
just got hit |
| 8^ |
chicken |
|
(:-B |
baby with buck teeth |
| :]~~~~~~* |
frog catching a fly |
|
~:O) |
baby |
| ___/\___\o/__ |
shark |
|
{:o)B->--< |
model |
| :(c)) |
happy pig |
|
=):-) |
Uncle Sam |
| X-( |
just died |
|
[{:-) |
happy businessman |
| :(:)( |
sad pig |
|
<]:-) |
happy witch |
| })i({ |
butterfly |
|
(|:)> |
beatnik wearing a beret |
| :-{) |
has a mustache |
|
C=:-) |
chef |
| ~))))'> |
possum |
|
<):o) |
cowboy |
| ~8-) |
Harry Potter |
|
:-t |
pouting |
| (:-) |
bald smiley |
|
:-a |
tongue touching nose |
| :-p |
tongue sticking out |
|
;-/ |
skeptical |
| :-)8 |
smiley with bow tie |
|
%-) |
staring at a screen for 15
hours |
| :C |
very sad |
|
%*@:-( |
hungover with headache |
| ..._(:)-o |
scuba diver blowing bubbles |
|
([( |
Robocop |
| ~(_8^(|) |
Homer Simpson |
|
;~[ |
prizefighter |
| B-)===> |
ZZ Top |
|
/:-( |
worried |
| >: [~ |
vampire |
|
:-/ |
uncertain / confused smiley |
| 5:O |
Elvis Presley |
|
:-] |
undecided |
| @:-)B |
what Madonna would look like with Elvis hair |
|
8-O |
omigod |
| ==):-)= |
Abraham Lincoln |
|
:`-) |
happy tear |
| :-.) |
Cindy Crawford |
|
>=) |
evil grin |
| *<]:-)#==> |
Santa Claus |
|
X( |
fed up / angry |
| <|:o) |
clown |
|
$-) |
yuppie |
| %\v |
smiley by Picasso |
|
<:>== |
turkey |
| :~X |
tongue-tied |
|
-(:)(0)=8 |
Teletubby |
| *<l:o)> |
Robin Hood |
|
:-( <| |
standing firm |
| :-)) |
really happy (or has double chin) |
|
[:] |
robot |
| :-(( |
really sad |
|
@};--- |
rose |
| :-{> |
smiley with mustache and beard |
|
3:*> |
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer |
| d:-) |
wearing a baseball hat |
|
o[-<]: |
skater |
| :-s |
don't know what to say |
|
|-( |
lost contact lenses |
| :-#/ |
wears braces |
|
@:-} |
just back from hairdresser |
| =:-O |
scared |
|
%-6 |
brain dead |
| :-Q |
smoker |
|
:-F |
bucktoothed vampire with one
tooth missing |
| :-? |
pipe smoker |
|
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Dr. Fahlman's :-) and :-( led to an explosion of "emoticons"
coloring modern electronic messages. How can you be sure you're getting your meaning across? How do you capture emotional
depth and texture? How can you engage, involve, and entertain your constituents? It begins with communication.
Throughout our nearly quarter century of helping organizations achieve their goals, we have developed communication
programs that help organizations of diverse scale and scope—start-ups to centenarians—engage, involve, and
entertain their constituents. Explore our client credentials, learn more about
how we think, follow the trail below to more information about emoticons, or
contact us to learn how we can help you build effective communications systems.
For more information
Smiley Lore :-)
Emoticons dictionary
Another emoticons dictionary
Internet acronyms
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