# Kimoji > Kimoji is a 2015 smartphone app featuring over 250 Kim Kardashian-themed emojis and animated GIFs, which sparked a major trend of celebrity emoji apps before discontinuing in 2019. Kimoji was a smartphone app featuring over 250 Kim Kardashian-themed emojis and animated GIFs, launched in December 2015. The app hit 9,000 downloads per second on its first day and kicked off an entire wave of celebrity emoji apps[3]. After mixed reviews, declining interest, and a controversial feminist emoji update in 2018, the app was discontinued in 2019[1]. ## Origin Kim Kardashian previewed the emoji collection on her personal Instagram on December 20, 2015, in a post that pulled in over 722,000 likes within two years[4]. The app itself launched the following day, December 21, 2015[1]. Kardashian said the project had been in development for almost two years before release[3]. She promoted the launch heavily across Instagram and Twitter, sharing screenshots of text conversations that showed the emojis replacing words in everyday exchanges[1]. The emojis were built around her personal brand, referencing her contouring routine, ugly cry, high-profile baby bump, and the scandalous nude Paper magazine cover shoot[1]. - **Platform:** Apple App Store (launch), Instagram / Twitter (promotion) - **Creator:** Kim Kardashian (creator, subject) - **Date:** 2015 ## Overview Kimoji gave iPhone users a custom keyboard packed with Kim Kardashian-themed pictograms, stickers, and GIFs[3]. The emojis ranged from Kardashian's iconic crying face and middle finger to her Paper magazine cover pose, waist trainer, and platinum blonde hair debut[1]. Many of the icons leaned sexual, depicting Kardashian's butt and breasts, while others included more mundane items like doughnuts, hearts, and red Solo cups[3]. Later updates added animated stickers such as a handprint slapped on a butt and a couple in a shower[3]. Users could access the emojis through the iPhone keyboard selector and paste them into any messaging app[4]. ## How It Spread On launch day, the Kimoji app hit 9,000 downloads per second and earned $1 million per minute despite mediocre initial App Store ratings[3]. The flood of downloads caused issues with the app, and Kardashian tweeted "Apple, I'm so sorry I broke your App Store!!!" The tweet picked up over 5,200 retweets and 13,000 likes[4]. She followed up with "My Kimoji app will be up and running again soon!"[4]. However, Variety later issued a correction noting that the App Store itself did not actually experience any issues despite Kardashian's claim[1]. The app's commercial success quickly attracted imitators. Throughout 2016, a wave of celebrity emoji apps hit the market, including Steph Curry's StephMoji, Justin Bieber's Justmoji, Amber Rose's MuvaMoji, and Hillary Clinton's Hillarymoji[3]. Katy Perry's Meoji eventually dethroned Kimoji as the top-selling celebrity emoji app[2]. A web developer who viewed Kimoji as a societal ill even created a parody set based on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, with some illustrations directly mocking Kimoji designs[3]. The Kimoji trademark also spun off into physical merchandise: pool floats, Post-it notes shaped like Kardashian's butt, fragrances, and smartphone accessories[3]. On March 6, 2018, Kardashian announced a feminist-themed Kimoji update, tweeting an image of a "Full Time Feminist" emoji with the caption "So proud of this KIMOJI pack"[4]. The pack drew mixed reactions. Twitter user @ElizabethThee called the women's empowerment emojis "a slap to every women who has stood to fight for our rights," earning over 1,100 retweets and 5,600 likes in 24 hours[4]. Others saw a positive message. User @MUNCHKiN_XO tweeted "I love the message behind the new Kimoji's" and got 480 retweets and 3,200 likes[4]. Twitter compiled the debate into a Moments page that same day[4]. By late 2016, the novelty of celebrity emoji apps had worn off and Kimoji had already dropped out of the top 200 grossing apps[2]. The app was criticized for its high price, lack of updates, and poor customer service[2]. Kimoji was discontinued in 2019[2]. ## How to Use Kimoji worked as a keyboard extension on iPhone. Users would download the app, enable the Kimoji keyboard through their phone settings, and then switch to it within any messaging app using the keyboard selector. From there, they could browse categories of emojis and stickers, tap to copy one, and paste it into a conversation. People typically used Kimoji to add humor or personality to texts, picking from options like the crying Kim face for dramatic moments or the peach and butt emojis for flirtier exchanges[4]. The animated GIFs could be sent through iMessage directly[3]. ## Cultural Impact Kimoji's biggest mark on culture was proving that a celebrity could turn their personal brand into a profitable emoji product. The app earned massive revenue in its first hours and directly inspired a cottage industry of imitators throughout 2016[3]. The model showed that social media following could be converted into app downloads almost instantly. The feminist emoji update in 2018 briefly put Kimoji back in the spotlight, sparking a genuine debate about whether Kim Kardashian was the right messenger for women's empowerment imagery[4]. The "My Body My Choice" emoji, featuring Kardashian's naked body with censor bars, became one of the most discussed individual designs from the pack[4]. Urban Dictionary defined Kimoji simply as "a very pointless but trendy app," capturing the cultural ambivalence many felt toward the product[5]. ## Fun Facts - Kardashian's "I broke your App Store" tweet went viral, but Variety confirmed the App Store never actually went down[1]. - The app was in development for nearly two years before launch[3]. - At peak launch, the app was pulling 9,000 downloads every second[3]. - Some of the emoji designs had no obvious connection to Kardashian, like a row of gummy bears and a red Solo cup[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Kimoji? Kimoji was a smartphone app that provided over 250 Kim Kardashian-themed emojis, stickers, and animated GIFs for use in text messages and social media[3]. ### Where did Kimoji come from? Kim Kardashian launched the app on December 21, 2015, after nearly two years of development. She previewed the emojis on her Instagram the day before[4]. ### What does Kimoji mean? The name is a portmanteau of "Kim" and "emoji," referring to the Kim Kardashian-branded pictograms available through the app[3]. ### How do you use Kimoji? Users downloaded the app, enabled the Kimoji keyboard on their iPhone, and could then paste Kardashian-themed emojis and stickers into any messaging conversation[4]. ### Is Kimoji still popular? No. The app was discontinued in 2019 after declining downloads and revenue[2]. ### Did Kimoji really break the Apple App Store? No. Kardashian tweeted that she "broke" the App Store due to download volume, but Variety confirmed the store experienced no actual issues[1]. ### How much money did Kimoji make? At launch, the app earned $1 million per minute[3]. ### What celebrity emoji apps did Kimoji inspire? Kimoji kicked off a wave of celebrity emoji apps in 2016, including StephMoji (Steph Curry), Justmoji (Justin Bieber), MuvaMoji (Amber Rose), and Hillarymoji (Hillary Clinton)[3]. ### What was the Kimoji feminist emoji controversy? In March 2018, Kardashian released a feminist-themed emoji pack that drew criticism from some who felt she was trivializing the women's rights movement, while others praised the empowerment message[4]. ### What kind of emojis were in Kimoji? The app featured Kardashian's crying face, middle finger, butt, breasts, waist trainer, platinum hair, contouring tools, and various everyday objects like doughnuts and hearts[1]. ## References 1. [Kimoji: The Rise and Fall of Kim Kardashian's Emoji App]() 2. [Kim Kardashian's Butt Emoji Breaks Apple Store]() 3. [Kimoji - Know Your Meme]() 4. [Kimoji]() 5. [Kimoji - Urban Dictionary]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/kimoji Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library