Whale of an Emoji: Why We Deserve a Bigger Pod
- WD - Home
- Oct 30
- 3 min read
The Current Emoji Situation
Pull out your phone and type "whale." What do you get? Two emojis. One is a cartoon-like creature happily spouting water, as if it had just been cast in a children's TV show. The other is a sleek blue or gray whale that looks like it's about to star in a serious BBC documentary narrated by David Attenborough.
If tacos, unicorns, and twelve different kinds of moon phases made the cut, whales deserve more than two lonely icons.
That's it. Two whales. For an animal that comes in 90-foot-long blue varieties, click-happy orcas, narwhals with unicorn horns, and humpbacks that sing ocean ballads longer than your Spotify playlist, two feels like an insult.
A Breaching Humpback
Where's the humpback, mid-breach, flipping through the air like a 40-ton gymnast? That emoji would be the punctuation mark we all need. Finished your to-do list? 🐋💥. Got a new job? 🐋💥. Your friend just texted that they found the best burrito spot in town. 🐋💥.
It's the "drop the mic" of emojis, except the mic is a whale belly-flopping back into the sea.
A Tail Slap
We also need a tail-slap emoji. Nothing says "I'm mildly annoyed but also kind of playful" better than a whale whacking the water with its fluke. Imagine sending it in a group chat when your friends make plans without you: 🐋👋. Or when your boss schedules another "quick" meeting at 4:59 p.m. on a Friday. 🐋👋.
Tail slaps are nature's way of saying, "I heard that." And honestly, we need that energy in our texts.
A Singing Whale
Whales sing songs that travel for miles, entire operas floating beneath the sea. Where's the emoji for that? Picture a whale with music notes rising above it. It could say, "I'm feeling good,” "I just discovered a new playlist," or "yes, I will absolutely belt Adele at karaoke tonight."
The Narwhal
Technically, the narwhal is a whale. And yet, there is no narwhal emoji. We have unicorns, we have dragons, we have mermaids, but no sea unicorn? That is criminal. A narwhal emoji would cover everything from "majestic vibes only" to "I'm feeling a little stabby today."
The Orca
Killer whales are practically celebrities. They star in documentaries, theme parks, and endless TikToks. Where is their emoji? Orcas could fill in for sass, power, and "I'm the leader of this pod." Perfect for when you want to flex in a group chat or let someone know you are not the one to mess with.
The Calf
And let's not forget baby whales. A calf emoji would be the ultimate "aww" text. Sending love to your mom? 🐋👶. Announcing that you adopted a new puppy? 🐋👶. Trying to soften the blow of "sorry I'm late again"? 🐋👶. Baby whales might weigh a ton, but digitally they'd be pure sweetness.
Blue Whale, the Sequel
Yes, we technically already have a blue whale. But does it really look like the biggest animal ever to live on Earth? It seems more like a clip-art fish that went to finishing school. We need a proper blue whale emoji. One that seems so massive you feel like you have to zoom out your phone to see it.
Why Stop at Whales?
If we are dreaming big, give us a whole pod. Whale emojis for moods. Whale emojis for reactions. Whale emojis for random moments in life. Hungry? 🐋 with an open mouth. Sleepy? A whale drifting down with Z's. Dramatic? A whale mid-breach. Romantic? Two whales with their flippers touching like a heart.
Whales come in every shape, size, and personality, so why does my emoji keyboard act like they only made two of them?
Whale of an Emoji: Closing Argument
Whales are not a niche part of the natural world. They are icons. They are legends. They are the original influencers of the sea, singing, breaching, and tail-slapping, long before we thought to add filters to Instagram stories.
It is time for our emoji keyboards to catch up. Two whales are not enough. We need variety, we need personality, and we need a proper pod swimming through our texts.
Because sometimes, only a whale can say what words cannot.
