Guten Tag!

Last month I came across an article about how Finland are set to release country-specific emojis for use on smartphones. They are, in fact, the first country in the world to launch their own emoji sticker set! The set has been gradually rolled out advent calendar-style, and tomorrow (December 24^th – the Finnish Christmas) all of the emojis will be available to download. Among them are a headbanger, a Finnish sauna, and the Nokia 3310. You can see them all here!

 

So, in the spirit of Weihnachten and all things light-hearted and upbeat, I thought it would be fun to imagine which emoticons Germany would have if they launched their own emoji sticker set!

Wurst

I know that the iPhone has a hot dog emoji, but I‘ve got an Android (Samsung) phone, and there isn’t actually ANY kind of sausage emoji on there. But, famed for its Currywurst, Weißwurst, Bratwurst, Leberwurst and more, if any country should have a sausage emoji, it should surely be Germany!

 

The Brezel

Another obvious choice, but again, one whose omission from the current list surprises me! Now, who doesn’t think of Germany when they see one of these? I think the Brezel would make a pretty cute little emoji, don’t you?

 

S-Bahn/U-Bahn symbols

 

Like the U for underground here in England, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn symbols are immediately recognisable to any German, and should therefore be included in the travel section of our German-themed emoji set. S-Bahn stands for Stadtschnellbahn (‘city quick railway’, or suburban trains) while U-Bahn stands for Untergrundbahn – underground railway.

Ampelmann

Another famous symbol of Germany – in particular of Berlin and the former DDR/East Germany – the Ampelmann was created in 1961 as a pedestrian crossing and became such a well-loved figure that he managed to survive unification and remain as he was to the present day! You will see this little man all over Berlin, both on the pedestrian crossings themselves and in souvenir and gift shops.

 

Man in Lederhosen/Woman in Dirndl

My phone’s ‘people emojis’ include Santa, the devil, a dancing man, and one of the Queen’s guards. I guess the last one is typically British. So for the German version, what else could we have in this section but a Lederhosen-clad man, and a Dirndl-clad woman? OK, so I’ll be the first to tell you that the Lederhosen and Dirndl are regional dress worn only in Bavaria, but you can’t deny that this is what people think of when they think of German people!

 

Brandenburger Tor

My phone has the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty amongst its buildings and landmarks. Our Germany-specific set would definitely include its capital city’s famous Brandenburger Tor (the Brandenburg Gate).

 

Wolpertinger

In the animals section, there’d be the Wolpertinger. A mythical creature from Bavarian folklore, this is a hybrid animal that inhabits the alpine forests of Germany. It comes in different forms, but it may have, for example, the head of a rabbit, the antlers of a deer, the wings of a pheasant and the body of a squirrel. You might see stuffed versions of these ghastly-looking ‘animals’ hanging up on the wall of a traditional Bavarian house or restaurant.

 

Bavarian flag

Ah, well, you’ve got me started on Bavaria now! The German flag does, of course, exist in the flags section of emojis. But our German-themed set would let the Bavarians have their own flag in there, too. 😉

As well as the German flag, what also already exists is what I call the ‘Prost’ emoji – the two beer glasses clinking together. ‘Prost’ is the German way of saying ‘cheers’ when you clink your glass with someone. Who doesn’t think of Oktoberfest when they see that one?

The other that I think we could adopt as German is one of the devil emojis, as he looks suspiciously like Krampus, the devil-like creature that accompanies Santa Claus at Christmas time if German children have been naughty:

 

 

So there you have it! Do you think Germany should follow in Finland’s footsteps and create a country-specific emoji set? If so, what would you like to see in it?

Frohes Fest! x