Unicode is being updated to version 10, and is finally, officially including the bitcoin sign, along with the 56 new emoji seen in the picture below. Along with these major changes, Unicode 10.0.0 will bring 8,518 new characters and 4 new scripts, bringing the totals of those items up to 136,690 and 139, respectively. One of the main focuses of this version of Unicode is to add in support for a number of ancient or less commonly used language dialects and character styles. Some examples include Japanese Hentaigana, a form that includes obsolete and offbeat Hiragana characters, along with Chinese Nushu and Indian Masaram Gondi, among many other similar scripts from around the world.
The new emoji on offer include a range of images that are a bit off the beaten path, such as a curling stone, a brain, a zebra, and a tyrannosaurus rex. A UFO, a raw steak, and a slice of pumpkin pie cross the border between sideline and mainstream, while the new facial emoji include things like a breastfeeding mother, new male faces with standard smiley-yellow skin, a crazy face, a star-struck face, and an exploding head to use for when somebody says something that really blows your mind. On the other end of the facial emoji spectrum, the puking emoji has gotten a far sicker-looking revamp, making it equally usable for gross situations or simply telling somebody you’re sick with a single keystroke. Elves, zombies, vampires, and fairies are here to represent the fantasy creature side of things, all female this time around.
The previous major update to Unicode brought 72 new emoji, including a ton of foods like kiwis and avocados, and exotic faces like clown, prince, cowboy, and even Mrs. Claus. It also removed a few more controversial or lesser-used emoji, such as the hunting rifle. The new emoji have yet to be adapted by the major players, such as Google and Samsung, who tend to bring emoji into their own style. Google, for example, has been working on being more inclusive by banishing the divisive blob emoji in favor of more realistic-looking emoji with a variety of skin tones and gender indicators, allowing just about everybody to roughly represent themselves in emoji to some extent. This, of course, means that those who want to use their own face as an emoji in Allo with the emoji in the new standard will have to wait.
