c, Messenger Kids Emoticons, PC Animated, Smile

Pre-1980 emoticons

Teletype machine operators, as early as 1973[citation needed], and probably long before that date, used “emoticons” to express themselves. Teletypes were limited to the keys of a standard typewriter keyboard plus a few special characters. Teletype operators developed a sort of shorthand to communicate among themselves. These shorthand notations became the foundation of “emoticons” as computers began to replace teletypes on university campuses.