Kimoji was a smartphone app with Kim Kardashian-themed pictograms. It was top seller on the Apple App Store and spawned a cottage industry of celebrity emoji apps.

Content

The Kimoji app gave users a custom selection of over 250[1] Kim Kardashian-themed emojis and animated GIFs to use in messaging apps. Many of the icons are sexual in nature, depicting Kardashian's breasts and butt,[2] but others include Kardashian crying, hearts, doughnuts, and kisses.[3] Later additions included sexualized images such as an animated handprint slapped on a butt and an intimate couple in a shower.[4]

Development

Kardashian promoted the app on Instagram and Twitter the day of its launch, December 21, 2015.[5] Kardashian said the project was in development for almost two years.[6]

Reception and legacy

At its launch, the app had 9,000 downloads each second. The app earned $1 million per minute[7] despite having mediocre initial App Store ratings.[8][9] The Kimoji trademark led to a merchandise campaign selling products including pool floats, Post-it notes shaped like Kardashian's butt,[10] fragrances, and smartphone accessories.[11]

Kimoji spawned a cottage industry of celebrity emoji apps in 2016, including Steph Curry's StephMoji, Justin Bieber's Justmoji, Amber Rose's MuvaMoji,[2] and Hillary Clinton's Hillarymoji. Like Kimoji, StephMoji was a top-selling app on the Apple App Store.[7] A web developer who considered Kimoji a societal ill created parody emoji based on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.[12] Some of its illustrations mock Kimoji.[3]

References

  1. Fingas, Jon (December 21, 2015). "Kim Kardashian cashes in with her own emoji app". Engadget. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Hess, Amanda (June 20, 2016). "Hands Off My Smiley Face: Emoji Become Corporate Tools". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  3. 1 2 Olivennes, Hannah (February 12, 2016). "Emoji Maker Finds Muse in a Kim: Jong-un, Not Kardashian West". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  4. "Kimoji Update: See the NSWF New Entries". People. June 1, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  5. Gallagher, Danny (December 21, 2015). "You can now use Kim Kardashian's butt to express your soul's yearnings". CNET. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  6. Kardashian, Kim. "The Making of My Kimojis". Kim Kardashian West. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Reisinger, Don (July 1, 2016). "Forget the Kimoji and Buy Some Hillarymoji for Your iPhone". Fortune. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. Knibbs, Kate (December 23, 2015). "Kim Kardashian Says Her App Broke the App Store, Apple Disagrees". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  9. Olanoff, Drew (December 22, 2015). "Kim Kardashian's Buttmoji Owns The App Store". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  10. Caramanica, Jon (April 17, 2018). "You Won't Have to Wait in Line for Micromerch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  11. Martinez-Keel (February 13, 2019). "Kardashian West sued in OKC court over use of Kimoji images, merchandise". Oklahoman.com. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  12. "Kim Jong-un emojis take on Kim Kardashian Kimoji". BBC News. February 12, 2016.
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