Why it matters: Like it or not, emoji have become part of our everyday lives, and we could soon start seeing them outside of the digital realm a lot more often. Should a new bill pass, it will allow drivers to add emoji to their license plates.
As per CNET, the new piece of legislation before the Vermont House of Delegates allows drivers to add one of six emoji to their license plate. The draft bill, introduced by Rep. Rebecca White, a Democrat from Windsor, Vermont, would let people add the emoji to the number assigned by the commissioner of motor vehicles. An emoji could also be added to the numbers or letters chosen by a driver for a vanity plate.
Vermont is already one of several US states that allow the use of some punctuation, including ampersands and question marks, on license plates, so maybe emoji is the next step.
While Vermont would be the first place in the US to have emoji-sporting license plates, it wouldn't be the first in the world. As of 2019, drivers in Queensland, Australia, can place laughing, smiling, winking, "love," or sunglasses emoji on their plates, which are priced at around $336 each. No word on how much the Vermont license plates would cost.
We don't know what the six emoji would be, either. According to Emojipedia, there are around 3,178 recognized emoji to pick from, but expect to see non-offensive, positive options similar to Australia---so no vomiting/enraged faces or piles of poop.