We all have our favorite emojis, whether it’s a Heart ❤️, a Hand 👋, or something new every day. (The Melting Face 🫠 is easily my top emoji of the summer.) The options are plentiful — there are at least 3,790 official emojis in the Unicode Standard — but we can think of thousands more we wish we had. Who among us hasn’t searched for a specific image to punctuate a text, only to discover it doesn’t exist?
Word Smarts writers put together a list of emojis we’d like to add to our keyboards, including an acoustic guitar and a dumpster fire. But we still wanted more, so we asked our readers for suggestions on what emojis they would add to their library.
Emojis are created by a global nonprofit called the Unicode Consortium. They added eight new emojis in April 2025, including a Leafless Tree and a Fingerprint . Anyone can submit an emoji proposal, so if you’re feeling inspired, Unicode starts accepting emoji proposals again on April 2, 2026. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the emojis that Word Smarts readers are wishing for.
Perhaps the most common request is for more animals. “How about different dog breeds and not a standard boring dog?” Debbie A. asked. The Dog emoji 🐕 and Dog Face emoji 🐶 appear to be a Shiba Inu and a beagle, respectively, and the Poodle emoji 🐩 is the only other dog breed represented.
The keyboard could use more cats and birds, too. “Get rid of the bugs and add a hummingbird and a cardinal,” reader Linda wrote. Reader Don D. suggested adding a sea turtle emoji, since the existing Turtle emoji 🐢 looks more like a tortoise.
When the perfect emoji doesn’t exist, we get creative with combinations. Reader Kim K. said, “I want to be able to overlay the 
Word Smarts readers are hungry for some new food emojis, too, including Buffalo chicken wings, Philadelphia cheesesteaks, candy canes, and a “sizzling steak.” “Those of us who indulge in white wine are still awaiting our emoji,” Judie K. said. (The Wine Glass emoji 🍷 is filled with red.)
Pickleball players are impatiently waiting for their emoji, while cheerleaders want to see their moves or maybe some pompons. Other reader requests include fly fishing, horse jumping, and a deck of playing cards. Several suggested more vehicle options, including different car styles, a jet ski, and a dirt bike. Sports fans would love a collection of team logos, and Matthew would like to add the “Star Trek Tribble,” for when the Vulcan Salute emoji 🖖 is not enough. And Kathryn K. said, “We need a grandma emoji that doesn’t look like she came from the 1800s. 👵”
Some readers described moods they don’t see on their keyboards, including jealousy, impatience, and “a combination of sad and angry.” Beth D. wants to see “pulling out one’s hair,” or “screaming at the top of one’s lungs.” And other readers requested some moods that aren’t so easily explained:
“I’d like one that says, ‘I got your message and I hear you,’ without agreeing or disagreeing,” Susan C. said.
“I’d like to see a ‘crying hearts’ emoji instead of crying tears to denote something that touched me so deeply, it made me cry (in a good way),” Patricia M. wrote.
“A hug emoji that is empathetic and not happy,” Angela K. suggested.
“There is a ‘like’ emoji. But I need one to say, ‘I like that you are raising money for cancer (for instance) but I don’t like cancer,’” Kathe explained.
“I wish we could convey in an emoji that what you just said is NOT what your face is saying!” Mary B. said.
Fetal Position
“Thankfully, I don’t need it often, but when those rare days come along, I wish I could emote it through an emoji,” Twyla wrote.
Travel Trailer
Bobbie F. said, “There is a legion of RVers on the road these days, and we’d love to have a way to say we’re camping/glamping again.”
Cowbell
“Because the world needs more cowbell.” We agree, Rita K.
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