Nothing says Finland like Nokia and heavy metal emojis
HELSINKI -- Finland is launching a series of "national emojis" that include people sweating in saunas, classic Nokia phones and heavy metal head-bangers.
This is the first country, apparently, to launch its own official emojis, according to a press release.
Petra Theman from the Finnish Foreign Ministry says the emojis will be released as a way to promote the country's image abroad and are based on themes associated with Finland.
She said Wednesday that emojis suit the character of the traditionally reticent Finns "who only speak when it's necessary."
The free emojis -- which, unlike emoticons that use typographical displays in texts, are pictures used to express emotions or ideas -- will be released on the ministry's web publication starting Dec. 1 at a rate of one-a-day, like a seasonal advent calendar. Called the 2015 ThisIsFinland Christmas calendar, the publication will include more than 30 Finnish emoji stickers.
"We have been anything but serious when creating these emojis," Theman said. "Hopefully they will open up not only our weirdness but also our strengths of which unarming honesty is one example."
The calendar will be made available in 13 languages, including Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Hindi, Polish, and Turkish.