Before emojis, there was xD.

It never got an emoji. It never needed one. Yet everyone still uses it.

01 / Story

Two keys, sideways

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.

Late 90s

xD spreads through anime forums, IRC and MSN. Popularity period logged as late 1990s to early 2000s.

2003

First written definition is on Urban Dictionary. The entry explains the emoticon to people who had already seen it.

Unknown

Know Your Meme status: Confirmed. Year: Unknown. Origin: Unknown. No author has ever been identified.

2010s

Forums and imageboards stigmatise xD and its spoken form, ecks dee, as shitposting. Anti-xD pages and ban threads follow.

Today

Unicode still has no laughing face with crossed out eyes. xD has no emoji equivalent to be replaced by.

03 / Make yours

Drop in any picture and stick the eyes and the tongue on it. Drag, size, tilt, download.

04 / Get it

xD-058280

Fund a compatible self-custody wallet with SOL.

Use the verified link on this page.

Confirm the full contract address before any swap.

Laugh cleared

Bring the memes. Stay for the laugh.