Emoji Proposal

Circling Birds Emoji (“Bonked,” “Concussed,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Birds Over Head”)

 

To: Unicode Consortium

From: Anna Sasson (alsasson@loyola.edu)

Date: February 28^th, 2021

 

Abstract

This is a request for the development of a Circling Birds emoji.  While there are emojis portraying dizziness and wooziness, designing an emoji to characterize this classic cartoon representation of getting knocked on the head would extend the meaning of these words beyond its current use.  

 

Introduction

The concept of birds circling around a character’s head after some blunt head trauma did not surface out of nowhere.  Originally, cartoons used swirls and stars to represent the state of dizziness that followed the injury.  As this continued to appear in cartoons, some added the nose of birds, specifically that of a cuckoo clock.  Eventually, this developed to the actual presence of birds swirling around the head of the characters.

Multiple Uses 

This emoji will provide a multifaceted illustration of what it feels like to be dizzy, woozy, dazed, confused, concussed, light-headed, you name it!  There are currently a few versions of the dizzy emoji and a woozy emoji as well; however, this classic cartoon representation of getting stunned extends this general feeling beyond its normal means.  For example, it can double as an emoji for concussions, accurately depicting what it feels like to actually get hit in the head.  This taps into the sports use of this emoji, speaking to its versatility in emotions.

 

Demand/Relevance

The Circling Birds emoji originates from the cartoon depiction of a character getting hit in the head.  Many popular cartoons have used this illustration to demonstrate dizziness and confusion after such an injury.  Some of the examples below show characters from well-known cartoons such as Looney Toons and The Simpsons.  There is also a progression in the images below of swirling stars to the addition of swirling stars and birds.

While this design is representative of a fictional character’s feeling, it very much holds relevance in the real world as well.  From this common cartoon expression, Snapchat created a filter that allows users to have birds circle above their own head.  This brings the fictional illustration to life and only continues to demonstrate its real world relevance today.

Image Distinctiveness

While there are many facial expression emojis, the Circling Birds emoji is only one of few facial expressions with an additional illustration above the head.  This will help the design stand out among the rest of the emojis and perhaps draw more users’ eyes to its presence and inspire them to start implementing it in their daily emoji use. 

 

Completeness

The Circling Birds emoji would help round out the dizzy/woozy emoji category.  There is a decent presence for this feeling and the birds circling above head would just about complete it.  This emoji also has the potential to bring new life to the current dizzy/woozy emojis by representing the common feeling in a new and expressive form.

 

Already Representable

As mentioned above, the Circling Birds emoji taps into a category that is addressed, but not to its full capacity.  Dizziness is felt different by everyone and having options to express this emotion is crucial.  This is exactly what the Circling Birds emoji would provide—another option, the best option if you ask me.  Also, while this does connect to a pre-existing category, the potential of the Circling Birds emoji is not confined to just feeling dizzy.  It will represent plenty of unique categories such as a concussion in sports or an accidental bump on the head.  Essentially, this emoji explores the actual action of suffering such an injury rather than simply speaking to the feeling itself.

 

Transient

Over all these years, cartoons have remained relevant and just as so will this illustration of birds circling above the character’s head.  

 

Author Bio

I have always loved cartoons.  Some of my favorites are Tom and Jerry, Looney Toons, and the Animaniacs.  Cartoons shatter any preconceived notions of how to express emotions and find the funniest, most unique ways to demonstrate how the characters are feeling or what they are expressing.  This love of cartoons is truly what made this emoji concept stand out to me.  There are plenty of facial expressions in the emoji world, but there is really nothing like a good old cartoon character getting knocked in the head.  Plenty of life experiences and moments could have been quite clearly encapsulated by this classic cartoon illustration and now if accepted, it has the potential to do just that.