A Salute To The Most Under-Appreciated Emoji

We are gathered here on this lovely July morning to celebrate a holiday that is near and dear to our hearts: World Emoji Day. World Emoji Day is a day for us to express our feelings earnestly and honestly in the only way we know how: emoji. But as we already know, not all emoji get equal amounts of screen time — so on this most hallowed of days, let us salute a few of the most under-appreciated emoji on the keyboard. Because all emoji deserve to be loved, don't you think?

I bet you think World Emoji Day is just some made up holiday like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, cooked up as a marketing scheme by big companies to get us to buy their products and feel bad about our lives. Not so, my cynical friends. Take a closer look at the "calendar emoji," and you'll find the truth about World Emoji Day. That's right kids: Today is July 17, the prophesied day on the calendar emoji. Coincidence? I think not.

Naturally, people are taking to Twitter and Instagram in unprecedented numbers to post messages celebrating the holiday with the hashtag #WorldEmojiDay — and here is where it becomes clear that some emoji generally get a lot more attention than others. It's like, why are there even 722 emoji (yup, there are that many) if all we're going to use is the smiling poop, prayer hands, and heart emoji? Some of the other emoji need some attention, too, people.

Today is an important day to recognize not only the stars of the emoji world, but also those hardworking emoji that rarely get recognition for their actions. They sit there, day after day, waiting for that moment when you suddenly realize you need a tiny picture of a microscope right then and there — but they spend most of their time collecting dust in the crevices of your operating system.

This is for you, then. Let's pour one out for the six most under-appreciated emojis of all time:

1. Caterpillar Emoji

This guy is incredibly underutilized, which is a shame because he is so cute and so useful. The caterpillar can be used to indicate that you are in the process of becoming a butterfly. Send it to someone who's trying to hurry you up while you're getting ready for an event: The caterpillar sends a firm message that beauty cannot be rushed.

2. Down Pointing Graph Emoji

The downward trending graph is easily the best way to tell someone that things are going south. It's concise, clear, and speaks for you when things are going so badly that there aren't even words to explain just how terrible your life is.

3. Pushpin Emoji

Everyone assumes that you have to use the gun or the knife emoji to indicate a threat, but the pushpin is much subtler and therefore much cleverer. Just imagine how scary it would be to be pinpricked to death. So scary, you guys.

4. Bactrian Camel Emoji

Yes, there are two camel emoji. There is the dromedary camel emoji, which has one hump, and then there is the far superior bactrian camel emoji, which has two. One day people will start using the BacCam Emoji as a euphemism for sex, and it will be exquisite. Mark my words.

5. Moyai Emoji

Maybe some of your friends have already caught on to the versatile goddess that is the Moyai (or "Easter Island Head") emoji. This stone faced character gives literally no fucks, and neither should you.

6. Cigarette Emoji

Just because smoking isn't cool doesn't mean that the cigarette emoji isn't cool. It's in fact the perfect way to describe someone who is attractive: Smoking hot. (As long as they don't actually smoke, that is.)

Images: Emojipedia (7); Mikaela Gilbert-Lurie/Bustle (6)