The skateboard emoji finally exists.
Kooks on Twitter have been whining for one for the past couple years, but it’s not something most skateboarders feel strongly about one way or another. Sure there’s critics, but even the bitter Pals on the SLAP message board didn’t object.
The lack of uproar is in part credited to Tony Hawk, who advised on the design. But it’s still remarkable that most of these tech platforms, which are obviously not run by skateboarders, didn’t completely butcher the task of representing skateboards.
It all started when Jaron Heard, a data visualist in Oregon, listened to a tech podcast where Jennifer 8. Lee, vice-chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, talked about the process of making emojis.
Unicode is the group that maintains a digital database of unique numerical codes for every text character in every language. They also manage the codes for emojis, and their Emoji Subcommittee decides which emojis will exist. They haven’t approved anything more offensive than the middle finger, but anyone can follow their guidelines and submit a proposal.
So in November 2016, Heard sent Unicode a proposal for a skateboarder emoji, modeled loosely after the snowboarder and surfer emojis.
Heard, who himself skates, told me he submitted his proposal because he thought it was odd that no skateboarding emojis existed yet. He included a reference image for the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee to consider, a silhouette of a skateboarder doing some generic flip trick, which he admitted wasn’t perfect, but was better than other Google Image results for “skateboarder.”
Heard considered mocking up a more finished design, possibly of a skateboarder doing an ollie, but he knew whatever he sent wouldn’t be the final design, so he settled for the silhouette he found online. “I figured that if they were to use anything from it, at least that was not totally terrible,” Heard told me. “It had the right kind of skateboard.”
Unicode eventually approved Heard’s proposal but decided to make only the skateboard. Adding people into an emoji requires more design work to create the five skin tone varieties typically required, and less-involved designs are easier to approve and roll out. Unicode then notified all the platforms (i.e. Apple, Android, Google, Twitter, etc.) that they would need to design their versions of the skateboard emoji.
In February 2018 the main emoji reference site, Emojipedia, released their skateboard emoji. But it looked bad, like a wonky contraption that should have died in the ‘80s.
Joshua Jones, the designer at Emojipedia who created their initial model, admitted it was outdated. “The initial rendering was meant to convey a more cartoony, toy-like board,” Jones told me over email. “It was partially inspired by a heavy plastic board I had when I was a kid. It was a fond memory, but definitely a poor choice for today’s serious skateboard community!”
But the day that design became public, Tony Hawk happened to see it and responded to say it needed to be updated. Jeremy Burge, Emojipedia’s Chief Emoji Officer, agreed, so he got in touch with Hawk to fix it. “It’s not my mission in life, but I thought it was a glaring omission with all of the updates they put out there,” Hawk said. “You have a scooter and tricycles and everything else. It just seemed obvious to me.”
I asked Hawk if he was bummed that scooters got an emoji before skateboards, but he just said he was “baffled, not bummed.” He said his own emoji habits are “pretty mundane,” and his most used ones include the camera, the surfer, and the shaka. But he also added that he uses the black heart — “That’s usually my texts to my wife. And the money flying away.”
While they were on the phone one day, Hawk sent Burge a picture of his own board. Within a week Jones came up with a new design — popsicle-shaped, modern hardware, and a standard griptape cut — modeled directly after Hawk’s board.
“My skateboard isn’t necessarily the standard street skateboard, but it’s a lot closer than that ‘80s Walmart board they had.”
Although Hawk had joked online about the skateboard emoji “be[ing] more relevant than skateboard Olympics,” he doesn’t consider it to fundamentally change how people perceive skateboarding. “I think it’s just a better representation. I don’t think it’s the best. I think the best would’ve been a person on a skateboard, [but] I do feel like it was a good compromise,” Hawk said. “My skateboard isn’t necessarily what the standard street skateboard is, but it’s a lot closer than that ‘80s Walmart board they had.”
While Emojipedia set a good example for the skateboard emoji, and one that major emoji platforms like Apple, Google, and Samsung have more or less followed (minus Samsung’s missing bolts), you may notice other interpretations floating around. Microsoft’s skateboard is more reminiscent of an elongated, blue basketball, and Twitter’s looks as cartoonish as Bart Simpson’s board, in a bad way.
These outliers exist because Unicode doesn’t enforce how platforms design their emojis. “Emojis work similarly to any other character on the keyboard, like punctuation or letters or numbers,” Burge told me over email. “Just like Unicode doesn’t tell any company how they should design the letter ‘A’ they also don’t tell vendors how to design an emoji.”
As much as I’ve enjoyed skateboards being left out of the emoji world as a sign that we still entertain some outsider status, I’m glad the skateboard emoji was ultimately born from and honed by skateboarders.
“I don’t know if I was the only reason it changed, but I feel like it could’ve gone into that terrible toy version and we would’ve been stuck with it,” Hawk said. “Now the world is stuck with my board and 60mm wheels.”
Related Posts
Comments
Popular
-
A CHAT WITH LUDVIG HAKANSSON, THE OLDEST SOUL IN SKATEBOARDING
The man loves to read Nietzche, skates in some expensive vintage gear, and paints in his own neoclassical-meets-abstract-expressionist style.
-
MY HUSBAND TOOK ME TO A SKATE-URBANISM FESTIVAL. HERE’S WHAT I THOUGHT.
"I was headed into one of the most intellectually engaging conferences of my adult life. And, it was hosted by a bunch of skateboarders."
-
PREMIERE: STEVEN CUSTOZZO AND MICHAEL FALLER IN “HEIRLOOM”
Unconventional tricks at classic NYC spots.
-
A NEW GENERATION’S TAKE ON WALLENBERG
Toby Ryan and Dylan Jaeb weigh in on whether or not this formidable stair set's reputation holds up today.
-
LOUIE BARLETTA ON HIS CAREER AND THE PUSH INITIATIVE
Louie discusses the challenges of maintaining a pro skate career and his new initiative to help those in need.
December 20, 2019 12:36 pm
sex toys
I don’t think there should be a draft. Just because not everyone cares enough or has the loyalty to ones own country to defend it.
Especcially in America. I called my (300 pound) partner to tell him about the reaction I was
getting from dropping the “F” bomb and he ranted, “If someone is going to condemn you for a single incident that happened years ago, then fuck ’em! Better yet, DON’T fuck ’em! I’d like to read THEIR diaries. They can’t handle the truth? It’s YOUR experience, not theirs. How dare they take it so personally?! They need to look up ‘projection’ in a psychology dictionary.”.
wholesale dildos We have purchased several of the Male Power Bamboo line of men’s undergarments.
The others ran true to size or larger than expected.
These run a bit smaller and are more form fitting. Had the blurring of morality been the only difference, the show would not have revolutionized
television. It would not have ultimately led tothe multi episode types of binge worthy dramas featured today on Netflix and Amazon. Indeed, “Hill Street Blues” is
widely considered the precursor of programssuch as
“The Sopranos,” “West Wing” and “The Wire,” to name a few..
wholesale dildos
Male masturbator For other inquiries, Contact Us.
To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map.
The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
I froze! O goodness! I didn’t know what to say, but i starting crying and
when I got home I had some serious explaining to do. I stole
their car and did a hit and run, skipped school weeks at a time
and had the cops called to find me, I was doing a lot of drugs and drinking, sneaking out of house(of course I was
caught), and just pretty much doing what I wanted to. I am
18 now and I have recently earned back their trust by not doing anything I would
get in trouble for. Male masturbator
cheap sex toys As it happens, the statue stands in Cleveland’s Public Square, which was taken over last August by Marvel Studios to film a segment of
The Avengers. The SW quadrant of the square
was made over to stand in for Stuttgart, Germany (the scene near the beginning
where Loki terrorizes the opera crowd). Well, they couldn’t
have “Moses Cleaveland” standing in the middle of Stuttgart (although they panned up the Terminal Tower, which that city definitely doesn’t
have!), so rather than move the statue, they simply gave it a new identity..
cheap sex toys
Male masturbator TPR toys should be washed in warm water with soap.
A toy cleaner can be used if desired. TPR should not be boiled.
No to my getting naked with another woman. Quickly learned Weinstein didn take for an answer.
Hayek claimed Weinstein dragged her of the opening gala of the Venice Film Festival, which was in honour of Frida, so that she could attend
a private party with him and some models, who she later learned were prostitutes also claimed he threatened her.
Male masturbator
vibrators This triple penis ring has been specially designed to increase
your pleasure and improve your performances
during sexual relations. Composed of three rings of different sizes,
allowing you to vary the sensations while improving your
sexual performance. These rings can be placed around the penis at the base of the shaft, behind
the scrotum and around the testicles. Their basic design recreates the body, the head, the limbs and the usual orifices: anal and vaginal ones, and sometimes
oral ones, which are also made of plastic.
Some models of these love dolls have orifices made
of CyberSkin, a material that feels incredibly real to the touch.
A special valve enables these dolls to be inflated with ease..
vibrators
cheap fleshlight To share your body w/ someone else you first have
to be comfortable with it. Get to know your body. EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU IS BEAUTIFUL!keep saying
that to yourself. In the middle of allegedly robbing the business, White
logged himself onto the Internet, and made a mad dash for the
adult section. He originally told the cops he was
online looking for a job, though police said White was watching porn and pulling his pants up.
He’s charged with two counts of petit larceny and property damage..
cheap fleshlight
vibrators I’d also encourage you to work on finding a new
counselor. You can make it clear from the get go that you’ve recently been in an abusive relationship and you want
to work on things related to that, particularly your current behavior and feelings, and see
what the counselor says. If they say something like “We can definitely start on that issue” that’s a good sign, but if they say “well, first I want to understand a lot more about your background” that might
mean that they’d be like your past counselor vibrators.
January 17, 2020 3:57 am
I Tip extensions
Making your own laundry soap is also good
for the environment. You won’t need to throw away all those plastic laundry detergent containers!
Your own homemade soap can be stored in containers that you continually reuse/recycle.
Some people store laundry butter in quart canning jars.
I Tip extensions I have a friend who is very wealthy but got divorced when he lived in cali.
He has to pay a shitload of money every month in child
/ spouse support and is a great father to his kids when he sees them.
The mom spends all her money to live a “trendy” lifestyle in the bay area
in Cali and doesnt buy shit for the kids.
I Tip extensions
I Tip extensions Both should have been told separately rather than spliced together.
It felt like they were trying to rush along events too quickly.
The result is that the series leaves a bad
taste at the end, which is what drags down the score for
most people. Or your head could be infested with tiny
parasites that are feeding on your blood. Although the latter case might sound a little
terrifying, it’s really just an inconvenience, much like dry scalp
or an allergic reaction. Those little parasites are called head lice, and aside from making your head itch, they aren’t going to cause you any harm.
I Tip extensions
human hair wigs The operation then became known as “Red Wings II” and lasted approximately three more weeks,[1][2] during which time
the bodies of the deceased SEALs and Army Special Operations aviators were recovered and the only surviving member of the initial team, Marcus Luttrell, was rescued.[6] While
the goal of the operation was partially achieved, Shah regrouped in Pakistan and returned with more men and armament,
aided by the notoriety he gained from the Red Wings ambush and helicopter shootdown. Military
and coalition partner operations shifted from “kinetic” operations to those of a counterinsurgency
(COIN) nature.[2] One of the primary goals of the coalition by 2004 in Afghanistan was
nation building, that is, providing a security environment conducive to the establishment and growth of a democratically elected government, as well as infrastructure support.[1][2] A key milestone in this
campaign would be the September 18, 2005, Afghan national parliamentary elections.[1][2] While many of Afghanistan’s provinces at this time had stable
security environments, one of the most restive continued to be the Kunar Province, which lies in eastern Afghanistan, on the border with Pakistan. For election results to be seen as legitimate by the citizens of Afghanistan and the world at large, all
elections throughout the country would need to proceed “unencumbered”
(without external influence, by either American and coalition forces or Taliban and anti American and coalition forces), including those
in Kunar.[2][7]. human hair wigs
lace front wigs The Franklin Mint is perhaps best known for the replica dolls including Jackie Kennedy.
If you are a collector you already know about the Franklin Mint, if you are new to collecting, you must visit
this website. A little more detail about their history:
. lace front wigs
clip in extensions The outline should be just as big as you want your wings to
be, and about the right shape. If you mess up, no worries, just draw the correct line over the old one.
You do not need to add details to the inside of the shape AND you
only have to do this once as your wings are (probably) symmetrical.2.
clip in extensions
clip in extensions Almost continuous warfare drained
money, energy and men, the most serious being the 1578 1648 Eighty Years’ War with the Dutch Republic.
The 1648 Peace of Mnster finally ended the war and recognised Dutch independence but the defeat devastated Spanish finances
and its military reputation. Retention of the Southern or Spanish Netherlands led to a
series of costly wars with France for a province that no longer provided the
same financial benefits. clip in extensions
costume wigs Maggie hurried away from the window and carried her work upstairs;
for Mr. Wakem sometimes came in and inspected the books, and Maggie felt
that the meeting with Philip would be robbed of all pleasure in the presence of the
two fathers. Some day, perhaps, she could see him when they could just shake
hands, and she could tell him that she remembered his goodness to
Tom, and the things he had said to her in the
old days, though they could never be friends any more. costume wigs
costume wigs They should sell it and give proceeds to childhood cancer research a thought.
I like when Barbie reflects real life BUT I also love the classic.
Many hours of joy came from playing with my Barbies!
I never looked at her as is what an ideal woman looks
like She was a doll, with hair I could brush and the clothing options were phenom!.
costume wigs
360 lace wigs It’s been about four years since that point I think (I’m terrible at
math). And I have stopped dying my hair and have promised myself to not ever proceed with changing my hair color in like I used to.
My plan is to let my hair grow all the way out it’s the length I want and there is no dye left in my hair.
360 lace wigs
human hair wigs Lot was made about the cross dressing aspect of
my son choice, but in my writing about it, the message I intended to send was that bullying is a cycle, often learned at home.
A few readers and parents I knew suggested
I had set my son up for bullying by letting him wear the
costume in the first place. But none of my son friends teased him about his costume.
human hair wigs
wigs Their acceptance by both white and black audiences, predating that of the Motown acts, has been noted as reflecting the early success of the Civil Rights Movement.
They have received numerous honors, including the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, as
well as being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1996, and named one of the 100 best acts of all time by Rolling Stone in 2004.
Two of their songs, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Tonight’s the Night”, were selected by Rolling Stone on its list of the greatest songs of all time.Initial career and success[edit]The
group that later became the Shirelles was formed in 1957 by four teenage girls from Passaic, New Jersey,[1] under the name the Poquellos[2] (or Pequellos[3]).
wigs
hair extensions Cholwolski takes over the fucking world and gets the spot.
Big E decides without Kronwall, he needs to leave too
because no more Swedes on the blueline. No one knows why,
and he sort of ends up like D Day from Animal House. I dance
over to her chair and start dancing around her stiff, angry
little body. Just party rocking. She folds her arms and glares at me..
hair extensions
cheap wigs human hair I don feel that way in terms of
quantity I think there are interesting roles for women in movies and
television, but they tend to just play one thing. So they the mother or
the daughter or the girlfriend or the wife, and the difference for me in this role was that
you see the character in all aspects of her life.
You see her in many different roles as the mom, the daughter, the friend, the co worker, the escort..
cheap wigs human hair
U Tip Extensions [10][11]Cardoso earned an anthropology degree from Universidad de los Andes.
As an anthropology student she traveled extensively throughout Colombia getting to know the diverse cultures of
her country: African Colombian, Native Colombian, Mestizos, campesinos
and city dwellers. She worked closely with Kogi indians at Ciudad Perdida U Tip Extensions.
March 12, 2021 9:43 am
Drink This Japanese Tonic In The Morning To Burn 3 Lbs Every 3.5 Days
https://bit.ly/30B2dYg
March 12, 2021 4:06 pm
Drink This Before Breakfast Burns 1lb A Day?
https://bit.ly/2OMsmkA