It never got an emoji. It never needed one. Yet everyone still uses it.
01 / Story
X for screwed shut eyes, D for an open mouth. Tilt your head left. That is the whole design.
No brand launched it, no committee approved it, no version number. It appeared on forums and messengers in the late 90s and stayed.
Emoji wiped out nearly every emoticon. xD survived because Unicode never shipped a crossed out laughing face to replace it.
Nothing to update. Nothing to retire.
02 / Lore
1982
Emoticons start as a joke marker, not a smile. Origin year listed by Know Your Meme.
knowyourmeme.com/memes/emoticonsLate 90s
xD spreads through anime forums, IRC and MSN. Popularity period logged as late 1990s to early 2000s.
Internet slang records2003
First written definition is on Urban Dictionary. The entry explains the emoticon to people who had already seen it.
Urban Dictionary entry, archived by KYMUnknown
Know Your Meme status: Confirmed. Year: Unknown. Origin: Unknown. No author has ever been identified.
knowyourmeme.com/memes/xd2010s
Forums and imageboards stigmatise xD and its spoken form, ecks dee, as shitposting. Anti-xD pages and ban threads follow.
knowyourmeme.com/memes/xdToday
Unicode still has no laughing face with crossed out eyes. xD has no emoji equivalent to be replaced by.
unicode.org emoji list03 / Make yours
Drop in any picture and stick the eyes and the tongue on it. Drag, size, tilt, download.
04 / Get it
01
Fund a compatible self-custody wallet with SOL.
02
Use the verified link on this page.
03
Confirm the full contract address before any swap.
xD
Laugh cleared
