September 10, 2025, 8:30 am | Read time: 3 minutes
With the upcoming Unicode 17.0 version, the Unicode Consortium is announcing several new emojis–including quirky additions like a Bigfoot-like creature, a trombone, or the core of an apple. The latest emoji list was released on September 9, with integration into iOS and Android to follow later.
For the presentation of the new designs, Unicode used World Emoji Day, which takes place annually on July 17. Nearly two months later, the 164 new designs have now been officially confirmed. The list of announced emojis includes nine entirely new symbols: trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature, battle cloud, apple core, orca, and ballet dancer. Additionally, there are new combinations and color versions of existing emojis, as well as several thousand additional non-emoji characters.
Bigfoot and Ballet Dancer in Focus
Particularly, the “hairy creature” emoji has attracted attention, as it clearly alludes to the North American Bigfoot figure. However, due to Unicode’s global usage, regional names have been avoided. Depending on the culture, the figure can also be interpreted as a Yeti or Almas.
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For the first time, there will also be a gender-neutral ballet dancer symbol available in various skin tones. Additionally, the well-known symbols “people with bunny ears” and “wrestler” will receive additional skin color variants. While Unicode 17.0 primarily defines new individual characters, Emoji 17.0 expands the selection through combined sequences of multiple code points. In total, 3,954 emojis are now officially recommended for cross-platform use.
The nine new designs were selected from a series of such proposals. The Emoji Standard & Research Working Group–formerly known as the Emoji Subcommittee–introduced a total of 164 new emojis in early July.
New Emojis Likely Available in Spring 2026
Although Unicode 17.0 was released on September 9, 2025, it is expected to take until spring 2026 for the new emojis to actually be available on iOS and Android, according to current information. Manufacturers like Apple, Google, and Microsoft typically integrate the new characters only with major software updates. Until then, users will have to rely on alternative emoji tools like Genmoji or Emoji Kitchen.
The inclusion of Bigfoot–albeit under a different name–demonstrates how emojis increasingly convey cultural symbols. They not only serve visual communication but also reflect societal trends. Over time, emojis have become more inclusive, showing a variety of national flags, including the Sark flag introduced with Unicode 16.0, and reflecting moods. Consider the face with bags under the eyes, which is also part of Unicode 16.0.
The Unicode Consortium continuously develops the emoji catalog. New figures are regularly added, often in response to suggestions from users worldwide.