Kimoji
{{Short description|Smartphone app}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
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{{Cite web |last1=Fingas |first1=Jon |title=Kim Kardashian cashes in with her own emoji app |work=Engadget |date=2015-12-21 |url=https://www.engadget.com/2015-12-21-kim-kardashian-emoji.html |language=en-US |access-date=2021-09-06 |df=mdy-all }} 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,{{Cite news |last1=Hess |first1=Amanda |title=Hands Off My Smiley Face: Emoji Become Corporate Tools |work=The New York Times |date=2016-06-20 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/arts/design/hands-off-my-smiley-face-emoji-become-corporate-tools.html |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |df=mdy-all }} but others include Kardashian crying, hearts, doughnuts, and kisses.{{r|Jong-un}} Later additions included sexualized images such as an animated handprint slapped on a butt and an intimate couple in a shower.{{Cite web |title=Kimoji Update: See the NSWF New Entries |work=People |date=2016-06-01 |url=https://people.com/tv/kimoji-update-see-the-nswf-new-entries/ |language=en |access-date=2021-09-06 |df=mdy-all }}
Development
Kardashian promoted the app on Instagram and Twitter the day of its launch, December 21, 2015.{{Cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Danny |title=You can now use Kim Kardashian's butt to express your soul's yearnings |work=CNET |date=2015-12-21 |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/you-can-now-use-kim-kardashians-butt-to-express-your-souls-yearnings/ |language=en |access-date=2021-09-06 |df=mdy-all }} Kardashian said the project was in development for almost two years.{{Cite web |last1=Kardashian |first1=Kim |title=The Making of My Kimojis |work=Kim Kardashian West |url=https://www.kimkardashianwest.com/behind-the-scenes/523-kim-kardashian-making-my-kimojis/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503230815/https://www.kimkardashianwest.com/behind-the-scenes/523-kim-kardashian-making-my-kimojis/ |access-date=2021-09-06 |archive-date=May 3, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}
Reception and legacy
At its launch, the app had 9,000 downloads each second. The app earned $1 million per minute{{r|Fortune}} despite having mediocre initial App Store ratings.{{Cite web |last1=Knibbs |first1=Kate |title=Kim Kardashian Says Her App Broke the App Store, Apple Disagrees |work=Gizmodo |date=2015-12-23 |url=https://gizmodo.com/kim-kardashian-says-her-app-broke-the-app-store-apple-1749477405 |language=en-us |access-date=2021-09-06 |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite web |last1=Olanoff |first1=Drew |title=Kim Kardashian's Buttmoji Owns The App Store |work=TechCrunch |date=2015-12-22 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/12/22/kim-kardashians-buttmoji-owns-the-app-store/ |language=en-US |access-date=2021-09-06 |df=mdy-all }} The Kimoji trademark led to a merchandise campaign selling products including pool floats, Post-it notes shaped like Kardashian's butt,{{Cite news |last1=Caramanica |first1=Jon |title=You Won't Have to Wait in Line for Micromerch |work=The New York Times |date=2018-04-17 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/style/micromerch-niche-fandom.html |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |df=mdy-all }} fragrances, and smartphone accessories.{{Cite web |author1=Martinez-Keel |title=Kardashian West sued in OKC court over use of Kimoji images, merchandise |work=Oklahoman.com |date=2019-02-13 |url=https://oklahoman.com/article/5622806/kardashian-west-sued-in-okc-court-over-use-of-kimoji-images-merchandise/ |language=en-US |access-date=2021-09-06 |df=mdy-all }}
Kimoji spawned a cottage industry of celebrity emoji apps in 2016, including Steph Curry's StephMoji, Justin Bieber's Justmoji, Amber Rose's MuvaMoji,{{r|corp}} and Hillary Clinton's Hillarymoji. Like Kimoji, StephMoji was a top-selling app on the Apple App Store.{{Cite web |last1=Reisinger |first1=Don |title=Forget the Kimoji and Buy Some Hillarymoji for Your iPhone |work=Fortune |date=2016-07-01 |url=https://fortune.com/2016/07/01/hillarymoji-app/ |language=en |access-date=2021-09-06 |df=mdy-all }} A web developer who considered Kimoji a societal ill created parody emoji based on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.{{Cite news |title=Kim Jong-un emojis take on Kim Kardashian Kimoji |work=BBC News |date=2016-02-12 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35557192 |language=en-GB |df=mdy-all }} Some of its illustrations mock Kimoji.{{Cite news |last1=Olivennes |first1=Hannah |title=Emoji Maker Finds Muse in a Kim: Jong-un, Not Kardashian West |work=The New York Times |date=2016-02-12 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/world/asia/kimoji-kimunji-app.html |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |df=mdy-all }}
References
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{{Kim Kardashian}}