On the eve of World Emoji Day, the Unicode Consortium announced a set of nine new characters that will be included in the Emoji 18.0 update and will appear on user devices in the spring of 2027. This was announced on the organization's official blog.

World Emoji Day is celebrated on July 17th—the date is reflected on the calendar icon. Unicode Subcommittee Chair Jennifer Daniel unveiled the upcoming symbols: a cracking face, a meteorite, a monarch butterfly, a lighthouse, an eraser, a butterfly net, and a pickle, as well as two new thumbs-up gestures, one pointing left and one pointing right.

According to Daniel, the new emojis are not essential, but they reflect everyday ways of communicating – from texting loved ones to subtly conveying emotions in chats.

The "cracked face" emoji symbolizes a forced smile with hidden anxiety—a situation where a person appears outwardly happy while actually experiencing hardship. The "meteorite" emoji will become a separate symbol from the comet, conveying a sense of impending disaster, while the comet will retain the image of a shooting star and a wish.

The pickled cucumber will acquire its own meaning, distinct from the common cucumber, traditionally associated with freshness. The new symbol will signify an awkward or confusing situation—for example, plans that accidentally collided or relationship complications.

The monarch butterfly will be included in the set as a symbol of resilience and intergenerational memory: the description notes that during migration across continents, the insect often does not survive to the end of its journey, passing it on to future generations.

Two new thumb gestures will complement the existing index finger gesture: while the latter is used to draw attention to something, the new emoji will allow you to point to the person you're talking to or a specific line in a conversation.

The lighthouse will become a symbol of support and inner guidance, and the eraser will represent not the literal deletion of messages, but rather the desire to start over or define personal boundaries. The net in the set is perceived as a symbol of action—an attempt to "catch" information or collect something online.