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Over 200 new emoticons will be added to digital platforms this year, including emojis representing disabilities and ones with multiple variants for gender and skin tone.

The Unicode Consortium announced that the latest emojis will be available on Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and WhatsApp later this year from between September and October, as part of the ‘Emoji 12.0’ development.

The new emojis are aimed to be more inclusive, and include 70 combinations of couples holding hands in various genders and skin tones.

There are also emojis designed to represent individuals with disabilities, including a manual and motorised wheelchair, service dogs, a gender-inclusive deaf individual, prosthetic limbs, walking canes, and more.

Reports by the Independent say the addition of these emojis came about after a proposal from Apple in 2018 to increase representation of differently-abled individuals.

There will also be additions to the food, animals and culture categories.

Among these are emoticons which represent various cultures, such as a sari emoji, a Hindu temple and a maté, which is a traditional South American drink.

The latest animal emojis will include an otter, sloth, orangoutang , skunk, flamingo, and more.

For those who like to express themselves using food imagery, several new emojis in the food category include butter, garlic, a waffle, and a juice box, to name a few.

Even an ice block and a planet with several rings has made the cut, along with even more gestures and facial expressions, such as a pinching hand and a yawning face.

 

Picture: Pixabay

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