Emojis: TheyÂ’re those little bits of digital cuneiform that people use on phones as shorthand. They can help convey subtle emotions or be used to convey larger ideas with 8-bit elegance. Emojis have become more than that happy face your pal sends you in a chat, having spawned such popular Twitter memes as #emojiarthistory, and even an all-emoji version of Moby Dick.
The international appeal of these little guys is huge. But while emojis might facilitate global mobile culture so that people speaking different languages can communicate using a string of glyphs, the limited selection of emojis does leave the local yokel wanting.
So we wondered what would a selection of Detroit-centric emojis look like? How would we boil down big Detroit ideas into cute little pictographs? We put our heads together, and with a little design magic from Lee DeVito and Anna Aichinger, we came up with dream set of Motor City emojis. Here they are, along with descriptions and what they might mean.
Photos by Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna Aichinger
Juggalos
What it is: Apple famously added more ethnicities and cultures to its Emoji keyboard earlier this year, but one culture went noticeably absent: The Juggalos, the clown makeup-wearing fans of the Insane Clown Posse. This corrects that oversight.
When to use it: Use if talking about a Juggalo or Juggalette. Can also be used as shorthand for MMFWCL — which itself is already shorthand for the popular Juggalo expression, “Much Motherfucking Wicked Clown Love. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerThe People Mover
What it is: Chasing its own tail since 1987, Detroit’s 2.9-mile circular monorail stands as the sole symbol of our region’s misguided public transit policy — that is, until construction on Woodward’s M-1 Rail finishes.
When to use it: Can be used to refer to catching a ride on the mostly useless public transportation system, or anything else that’s going in circles. Can also be another way of saying “LOL.” Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerKwame Kilpatrick
What it is: The former mayor of Detroit’s legacy was cemented by a rumored party alleged to be held at Manoogian Mansion, as well as the graphic extramarital sext messages he exchanged with Chief of Staff Christine Beatty. The ensuing cover-up for that tryst led to two felony counts of obstruction of justice and his resignation.
When to use it: Shorthand for when you’re feeling randy, or to let the squad know there’s a crazy party going on. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerJoe Louis fist
What it is: Downtown’s “Monument to Joe Louis,” known colloquially as “The Fist,” serves both as a memorial to the accomplished boxer and also a symbol of his efforts to break through racial barriers.
When to use it: Black power! Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerA pothole
What it is: Thanks to our highly dysfunctional elected leaders, Michigan’s roads remain an embarrassment and a danger to society. Nowhere is that more visible than in the massive potholes that destroy tires, such as the 2-foot-by-3-foot pothole on I-75 that gave more than 25 vehicles flat tires one day in August.
When to use it: Warn your friends about particularly cavernous potholes and advise them to seek an alternate route. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerConey dog
What it is: The distinctly Detroit delicacy — a simple hot dog topped with chili, mustard, and onions — is great for soaking up booze at 2 a.m..
When to use it: Shorthand for “I’m hungry!” Can also be used as a not-so-subtle suggestion to leave the bar and sober up, because let’s face it, that’s probably going to happen at a Coney Island. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerWounded pride
What it is: Detroit’s long embattled football team might be cursed, but fans keep roaring for more, hoping for the team to finally become king of the league.
When to use it: When licking your wounds every Sunday. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerRaver
What it is: Detroit is one of the electronic music scene’s points of origin, and the city’s legacy lives on in large festivals, such as Movement, and clubs that pack in the throngs.
When to use it: It’s party time! Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerLe Nain Rouge
What it is: The legend of the “Red Dwarf” goes back to our city’s founding, when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was said to have attacked the mythical creature — resulting in a curse that has haunted Detroit ever since, heralding disasters just before they happen.
When to use it: Is something bad about to happen? Are you about to divulge some bad news? The Nain Rouge emoji lets them know something unwelcome is in the offing. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerPaczki
What it is: It’s a Polish delicacy that’s sort of like a jelly donut, celebrated in an annual festival in Hamtramck on Fat Tuesday.
When to use it: Though Paczki Day only comes once a year, the Paczki Emoji can be used year-round to signify indulgence, or at least the sort that leaves you face-down drunk in a snowdrift. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerHooptie
What it is: Cheap, crappy cars abound in Detroit. Most of these battered jalopies are strictly A-to-B transportation, sutured together with chewing gum, baling wire, and duct tape. Yet it’s amazing that some of them are adorned with after-market gear as well.
When to use it: When you’re bitching about problems with your crappy car. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerNew Detroiter
What it is: More and more city residents are newly minted Detroiters. Two months ago, they may have been living anywhere from Brooklyn to Bloomfield, but now they’re “in the D,” and usually identifiable by the use of that expression.
When to use it: When forwarding that link to an article on the latest beardo out to “save” Detroit. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerBaphomet statue
What it is: In just a few short years, the Satanic Temple has gone from an unknown group to one of the best-known local organizations supporting Satanism in metro Detroit. Say what you will about Baphomet, but his statue went up in a flash compared to Robocop’s, which we’re still waiting on.
When to use it: To rebel against theocracy. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerSnowplow
What it is: A snowplow is a large vehicle equipped with a blade in front to drive snow off the roads and streets during the winter. They plow the streets of suburban Detroit regularly. In the city, they’re more of a mythical phenomenon.
When to use it: To mean actual snowplows, or to denote “wishful thinking.” Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerThe Slow Roll
What it is: Depending on who’s talking, the Slow Roll is a Monday night group bicycle ride that helps introduce thousands of riders to the city, or it’s a way for suburban cyclists to meet each other in the city while jamming up the motorists who live there.
When to use it: No matter which perspective you identify with, the Slow Roll emoji will be in heavy rotation on Monday evenings, whether you’re on two wheels or four. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerGraffiti
What it is: Is it “graffiti” or is it “street art”? The question rages on, with various distinctions falling at all points on the debate. But when the same artist hired to decorate one of Dan Gilbert’s buildings gets hauled into court by the mayor, the lines are bound to get blurry.
When to use it: When a new piece of bleeding-edge art goes up on a building. Or when somebody vandalizes your garage. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerIgloo
What it is: Sometimes it snows in Detroit. But sometimes it snows. Like 16 inches of that frosty white stuff in a 24-hour period. That’s when you just might not be able to make it to work — unless you drive a Tucker Sno-Cat.
When to use it: To visually express the statement: “I’m staying home today because the roads are too bad.” Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerMedicinal marijuana
What it is: There was a time when ambiguous text messages referred to “trees” or other code words for the sticky-icky. But with the coming of medical marijuana, there’s no need to be so cryptic. In fact, dispensaries routinely light up their buildings with the “green cross.”
When to use it: When seeking or buying medicine to treat your illness, of course! Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerConstruction barrels
What it is: As soon as winter is done ravaging the state’s roads, the Michigan Department of Transportation begins closing lanes for rebuilding, using these orange barrels to keep drivers from construction areas. No motorist likes to see them, but MDOT loves them so much they want to spend $20 million to buy newer reflective ones.
When to use it: All summer long, my friend. All summer long. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerOctopus
What it is: For those of you who’ve been living in Hoboken for the last 63 years, there’s this thing in Detroit called “The Legend of the Octopus.” It’s said to have started in 1952, when two Eastern Market produce vendors tossed an octopus onto the ice at Olympia Stadium. Ever since, Red Wings fans have been flinging cephalopod molluscs into the rink. Because hockey.
When to use it: When rooting for home ice. Better still, using a flying octopus emoji to express your solidarity with Detroit’s hockey team is cruelty-free, and gets 100 percent less slime on the ice. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerThe $500 house
What it is: The fabled $500 house has drawn many to the city who hoped to see the heavens part and a sacred light shining down on something they wouldn’t find in any other major American city. The mirage of the promised land usually disappears upon examining the back taxes, scrapped plumbing, and basement full of water, but it’s like the Holy Grail: It doesn’t have to exist; it just has to motivate people to look for it.
When to use it: When pointing out the unrealistic things that attract real people to our fair city. Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna AichingerSmelly smokestack
What it is: Detroit is arguably the poster child for post-industrialism, but sometimes it can still feel every bit as polluted and nasty as in the bad old days, from the Marathon Refinery and water treatment plant in Delray to the rotting trash at the Detroit incinerator.
When to use it: When the air quality in your particular location goes from moderate to “OMG — dying.” Credit: Illustrations by Lee DeVito and Anna Aichinger
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