Overview

• The Unicode Consortium officially confirmed the eight-character Unicode 17.0 update on World Emoji Day following its annual proposal and voting process
• New additions include Apple Core, Ballet Dancers, Distorted Face, Fight Cloud, Hairy Creature (Bigfoot), Orca, Treasure Chest and Trombone
• The Hairy Creature emoji is intentionally named for global clarity while depicting the iconic Bigfoot walk
• Apple plans to include the set in a point update to iOS 26 and Google will follow in its next Android release after completing their artwork
• Devices should receive the new emoji in a spring 2026 software update, adhering to Unicode’s typical 12-month rollout cycle