GoKawiilUnicode's emoji library nears 4,000 entries, prompting debate over what comes next
The emoji set, now approaching 4,000 symbols since Unicode standardized them in 2010, began as a narrow set of everyday icons like a sun, train and coffee cup for late-1990s mobile users. Since then, the Unicode Consortium has steadily added new entries based on public requests, from burritos to hedgehogs, without ever removing older ones once approved.