Last year Finland became the first country to produce its own set of national emojis; last week the country enxpanded its collection from 49 to 56, and one of the new additions represents legendary gay icon Tom of Finland.

Keeping in the spirit of emojis, Finland’s full collection of emojis is quite whimsical. There are icons dedicated to “Headbanger,” “Fashionista Finns,” and “Four seasons of BBQ,” for instance.

The images of Touko Laaksonen, published from the 1950s to the 1980s under the catchy pseudonym Tom of Finland, consisted largely of fantastically muscular sailors, bulging cops, and lascivious leather enthusiasts, and rapidly became a key part of the gay aesthetic of the 20th century and beyond.

An article on This is Finland’s website states:
 

[Laaksonen’s artworks] made, and continue to make, a significant contribution to the way sexual minorities perceive themselves. Laaksonen is often considered Finland’s most famous artist internationally. His work has adorned postage stamps–the most popular stamp set in the history of the Finnish Postal Service–and now it has also become an emoji. The emoji recognises the impact and importance of Tom of Finland’s art, and appears just before same-sex marriage officially becomes legal in Finland (as of March 1, 2017).

 
Here’s what the emoji looks like:
 

 
It’s clear that whatever discrimination and abuse Laaksonen may have experienced in his lifetime, Finland has recently made a concerted effort to embrace its country’s most famous artist. As mentioned, three years ago the country released a line of Tom of Finland postage stamps, sparking international headlines. Now you can find an emoji of his likeness on the country’s main website.

More after the jump…

 
Right now, you’re probably saying to yourself “Finally!” I know I sure am. Frankly I think the friendly poop emoji would make for a better vibrator character but what the hell do I know? Okay, maybe I’m wrong here and the poop emoji would make an excellent buttplug. Or maybe not—it has eyes—now that I think about that, too. Why am I even contemplating such things? I’ve reached rock bottom, apparently.

Okay, so there’s this eggplant emoji vibrator and it’s selling for $32. As most people know by now, the eggplant emoji is a universal symbol for a penis. It’s called the Emojibator and has “10 vibration settings that always hit the spot.” It’s also waterproof. Good to know. And according to its description, it’s a “healthy serving of vitamin D.”

I don’t know what else to say except “Here it is, folks….”

 

 
via Geekologie

 
I might be becoming a fuddy-duddy, but 6 times out of 10 when I encounter something involving emojis, my reaction is, more or less, “Buh?” I get why we need cute, expressive emoticons; I don’t understand what half of emojis mean, or why it’s amusing to see a retelling of Breaking Bad in emojis that redefines the concept of “hit or miss.”

So that’s why I was so particularly tickled to see writer, comedian, and Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater regular Avery Monsen’s new Vine, in which he presents “100 new emojis.” From where I sit, these preposterous invented emojis are the satirical kick in the pants emojis have been waiting for all along. Enjoy!
 

 

 

 
More after the jump…