The iconic teapot will finally get its own emoji as Yorkshire Tea claims credit for getting the ‘life-affirming beverage’ onto Android and iPhone devices.
The humble brew had previously been lagging behind both coffee and green tea, which have been represented on emoji keyboards since 2010.
The icon — which is expected may be red or blue — will be available on iOS and Android in March along with 116 other new ones — including an icon for bubble tea.
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The iconic teapot will finally get its own emoji as Yorkshire Tea claims credit for getting the ‘life-affirming beverage’ onto Android and iPhone devices
The humble brew had previously been lagging behind both coffee and green tea, which have been represented on keyboards since 2010. Pictured, the emoji submitted by Yorkshire Tea
‘For decades, all us tea drinkers have had to represent our chosen brew is a little picture of green tea and a little picture of coffee,’ a Yorkshire Tea spokesperson said.
‘Those just don’t cut the mustard when you’re trying to say “I’m having a brew”.’
‘Where’s the drink we know and love? The proper stuff, the one that’s the colour of He-Man. You know, tea.’
HOW ARE NEW EMOJI INTRODUCED?
The working list of emoji are determined by the California-based Unicode Consortium.
Third parties can make applications in support of new emoji.
Candidates must work well at emoji sizes, convey new meaning and must appear to be in demand.
Patterns of existing emoji usage are used to help guide the uptake of new additions to the Unicode Standard.
117 new emojis have been approved for launch in the March of 2020.
Pictured, the new teapot and bubble tea emoji approved by the Unicode Consortium that will arrive on devices in March 2020
Yorkshire Tea, owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, asked for the emoji several years ago, approaching the Unicode Consortium that approves new emoji.
‘We included lots of complicated data about global tea drinking, and elaborate justifications about how having a choice of only a green drink or a dark brown drink was letting down a whole world of tea drinkers,’ Yorkshire Tea explained.
‘We also had a bit of a shout about it on social media — because that’s the very place where the teamoji is needed most.’
“Did we expect it to succeed? Not in our wildest dreams! As far as we knew, the Unicode Consortium lived on a secret island somewhere in the middle of the ocean, making worldwide communications decisions from their shadowy volcano lair.’
Applying to them felt like inviting Google round for pizza, or trying to call Facebook to talk to a human being.’
‘But it worked! The Unicode Consortium said yes — and recognised tea for the glorious, life-affirming beverage it is.’
Yorkshire Tea, owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, asked for the emoji several years ago, approaching the Unicode Consortium that approves new emoji
‘We also had a bit of a shout about it on social media — because that’s the very place where the teamoji is needed most,’ a spokesperson for Yorkshire Tea said
The news brewed up a storm on Twitter.
‘You have done your County and Country proud. I’m a bit emotional TBH,’ wrote Twitter user @thomasforth.
Meanwhile, the Harrogate Tea Rooms tweeted: ‘Thank goodness for that!! Will make our #socialmedia life so much easier!’
The news of the newly-minted teapot emoji brewed up a storm on Twitter
‘You have done your County and Country proud. I’m a bit emotional TBH,’ wrote Twitter user @thomasforth.
In response to the news, the Harrogate Tea Rooms tweeted: ‘Thank goodness for that!! Will make our #socialmedia life so much easier!’
Yorkshire Tea admitted, however, that they might not be completely responsible the addition of the teapot to the ranks of emoji.
‘It looks like we had a partner in crime — another application also went in last year for a teapot emoji, from a person we haven’t been able to track down.’
‘Whoever you are, brave tea hero, we thank you.’
‘We don’t know what it’ll look like exactly, because Apple, Google, Samsung and the rest all like to put their own spin on them,’ Yorkshire Tea said. ‘But the Unicode sample one is red, so we’re crossing our fingers for that’ Pictured, the sample teapot icon and other food and drink emoji
Exactly how the teapot will appear on your device, however, is not yet clear.
‘We don’t know what it’ll look like exactly, because Apple, Google, Samsung and the rest all like to put their own spin on them,’ Yorkshire Tea added.
‘But the Unicode sample one is red, so we’re crossing our fingers for that.’
The teapot emoji will appear on smartphone keyboards in March, alongside other additions including a woolly mammoth, a polar bear and a gender-neutral Santa Claus.
The full list of new emoji was published on the Unicode Consortium website.