Whether it’s a friendly smiley face or a cheeky eggplant, emojis are now part of many of our daily messages.
And although they are usually thought of as a fairly modern feature, a new discovery shows that this is not the case.
Game developer and blogger Matt Sephton dug deeper into the history of emoji and discovered a set of characters from 1988.
The 102 emoji appeared on the Japanese PA-8500 device and include everything from animals to symbols.
However, they look very different from the emoji we use today. So can you tell what they are? Scroll to the bottom to see the answers!
Game developer and blogger Matt Sephton dug deeper into the history of emoji and discovered a set of characters from 1988.
While emojis are generally considered a fairly modern feature, a new discovery shows that this is not the case.
To uncover the history of the emoji, Sephton tested several retro Japanese devices that contained drawing software.
“These types of devices predate the Internet, so there isn’t much about them online and they can’t be emulated, so the only way to find out what they do is to get first-hand experience by reading the manual or, better yet, use one yourself,” he explained in a Blog.
Initially, I expected the first emoji to be the ones created at SoftBank in 1997.
However, he was surprised to discover characters on the Sharp PI-4000, which was released three years earlier in 1994.
To uncover the history of the emoji, Sephton tested several Japanese devices containing drawing software.
Initially, the game developer and blogger hoped that the first emoji would be those created at SoftBank in 1997.
‘The Sharp PI-4000 was launched in 1994 and was packed with recognizable emoji. Then I fell down the rabbit hole,” he wrote.
Next up was the NEC PI-ET1, which was released in 1990 and which Sephton describes as “the coolest thing you’ve ever seen.”
The device’s character set includes emoji that can be typed inline, as well as a “montage feature,” which allows you to create faces for your contacts.
Sephton really struck gold when he tested the PA-8500 device, released in 1988, which contains emojis similar to those on the PI-4000.
Sephton really struck gold when he tested the PA-8500 device, released in 1988, which contains emojis similar to those on the PI-4000.
“If we think about the line of PA devices, the PA-8500 was released in 1988, and its predecessor, the PA-7000 (no emoji), was released in 1987,” he wrote.
‘So maybe the emoji set was created around this time?’
While Sephton suggests that 1988 should be used as the emoji’s start date, he acknowledges that not everyone will necessarily agree.
“The story emoji is not as clear as you might have thought,” he concluded.
‘You can decide for yourself which one you consider to be the first emoji.
“It depends on our personal definition, so there is no right or wrong answer.”
While Sephton suggests that 1988 should be used as the emoji’s start date, he acknowledges that not everyone will necessarily agree.
