How Kakao Emojis Became a Giant Market

On the subway ride home, someone sends a message to a friend: “Today was really tough.” A drooping character follows the words.

Instead of a long message of consolation, the friend sends back a character with a broad smile. The words are brief, but along with them come an expression, a voice and an entire mood.

Six small drawings opened the door to conversation

Kakao’s emojis were not created with a vast market in mind. On November 29, 2011, Kakao first introduced emojis to KakaoTalk.

The service began with just six products, including characters created by webtoon artists. According to Kakao, emojis were designed to make it easier to express feelings that are difficult to convey with words alone.

The change was bigger than anyone might have expected. In the era of text messaging, laughter was often reduced to “ㅋㅋ” and awkwardness to a few clipped words. Characters, however, could show the shape of an emotion at a glance.

Emojis filled in the gaps in conversation. “Okay” can sound cold, but add a character nodding along and the same word suddenly feels much warmer.

The surprising thing about emojis is that they both shorten conversations and make relationships more nuanced. A single image can convey “It’s okay,” “I’m sorry,” “I’m looking forward to it” and “I’m just kidding” all at once.

Why did emojis keep people coming back?

At first, people bought emojis for fun. Over time, however, they became small digital accessories that reflected a person’s voice and personality.

Some people choose a cheeky character. Others go for one that quietly sheds a tear. Even the same “yes” can convey a different mood depending on which character accompanies it.

That shift was powered by the messenger app’s place in everyday life. KakaoTalk was something people checked repeatedly throughout the day, and emojis were expressive tools ready to pull up right inside the chat window.

According to figures Kakao released for 2023, the average monthly number of emoji users was about 30 million. The cumulative number of buyers was also roughly 29 million, turning emojis from a niche hobby into an everyday habit for the wider public.

Their popularity cannot be explained by price alone. Users were not simply buying an image file; they were buying a package of emotional expressions they could use again and again.

The same product could be used when they were happy, apologizing, ending a conversation or simply too tired to reply. A single purchase could lead to countless conversations.

One artist’s drawing becomes a choice among tens of thousands

As the market grew, emojis evolved from products planned by a single company into a space shaped jointly by creators and users. A creator ecosystem emerged in which anyone could submit an emoji set.

According to Kakao’s 2024 figures, roughly 700,000 individual emoji products had been released over 13 years. More than 280 billion emojis were sent that year.

It is difficult to grasp what 700,000 means. Even if you used a different emoji every day, it would take more than 1,900 years to experience them all.

With so many options available, emojis became a kind of miniature exhibition space. Users did not just choose famous characters; they also sought out artists whose style of expression felt like their own and became fans.

That opened a new path for creators, too. They did not need to produce a long-form work like a webtoon or a book to introduce their characters. A few short gestures and a single line could do the job.

Kakao’s sustainability report says that 2,885 emoji sets had generated cumulative sales of at least 100 million won, while 146 had surpassed 1 billion won. Seventeen emoji sets had recorded sales of more than 10 billion won.

Of course, that does not mean every creator earns substantial money. The important point is that emojis have become more than a showcase for drawings: they are now an independent way for creators to make money and connect with fans.

Subscriptions and character collaborations changed the market’s scale

A major turning point came when the market moved beyond selling emoji sets one at a time. Kakao introduced Emo­ticon Plus in 2021, allowing users to pay a recurring fee for unlimited access to a wide range of emojis.

At first, people might wonder, “Do I really need to use that many?” But subscriptions made experimentation easy. Users could try characters they would not normally buy, and if they liked them after a few days, they were likely to keep coming back.

According to Kakao, Emo­ticon Plus had reached about 13 million cumulative users and 2.5 million subscribers by 2024. Features that automatically recommend images suited to a user’s mood or situation also made the service easier to use.

Emojis expanded further through collaborations with other characters. The 2024 popularity rankings included characters with established fan bases, such as Manggeun Bear, Zan­mang Loopy, Danggomi and Chunsik.

Collaborations with sports clubs work in much the same way. Fans use characters they cheer with at games in conversations with friends as well. Once a character moves beyond the stadium, the occasions for using the product multiply.

At that point, an emoji is more than a simple image. It is a badge signaling that someone likes a particular character and a cue that helps people recognize others with similar tastes.

The question Kakao’s emojis pose for WordPress

For WordPress publishers, this phenomenon is not someone else’s story. Visitors do not just read the information in an article; they also absorb the mood of the person behind it.

Small illustrations or characters that convey emotion can help readers adjust their pace as they move through a long article. A smiling icon might accompany an instruction, a serious expression a warning, and an empathetic character a personal account.

But adding more emojis does not automatically make an article better. Kakao’s emojis succeeded not because there were more images, but because they offered the right expression at the right moment.

On WordPress, the first step is to define the purpose of the article. A character serves a different role in an informational post, a personal essay and a product feature.

• In informational articles, use them as visual pauses that give the reader’s eyes a rest.
• In review articles, use them to show the writer’s feelings.
• In product articles, use them to create an expression that helps readers remember the brand’s voice.
• In community posts, use them as signals that encourage readers to respond.

Speed is another important consideration. Heavy image files can slow down a page, and on smaller screens they can obscure the text. On WordPress, reduce image sizes, add descriptive text and prioritize a readable layout over decoration.

The central lesson from Kakao’s emojis is not about the characters themselves. It is that when people remember information, they remember not only the content but also the emotions they felt at the time.

What comes next for a giant market?

In 2024, Kakao’s emoji business reached 700,000 products and more than 280 billion sends. The numbers point to a huge industry, but its starting point is still a single line in a small conversation.

In 2026, Kakao said it would select 100 emoji intellectual properties based on the previous year’s performance and user response, and run an “Artist of the Year” program. This suggests that emojis have become character assets to be managed and developed over time, rather than one-off products.

The next stage of competition may not be about producing even more images. Characters that understand users’ situations and express the right emotion at the right moment are the ones most likely to endure.

WordPress publishers can take a cue from the same approach. When a site develops its own voice and visual identity and repeatedly uses visual elements that match the tone of its articles, visitors come to remember the site almost as if it were a character.

Ultimately, Kakao’s emoji market did not grow simply by selling pictures. It grew because emojis made it easier for people to understand one another, while giving creators room to keep expanding their own worlds.

The same question applies when using characters on WordPress. Instead of asking whether an image looks attractive, first ask whether it helps readers better understand what they are feeling in that moment.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When were Kakao’s emojis first launched?

A. Kakao first introduced emojis to KakaoTalk on November 29, 2011. The service began with six products, including characters created by webtoon artists.

Q. What was the biggest reason Kakao’s emoji market grew?

A. Emojis made it easy to express emotions quickly within a messaging app, and users had plenty of reasons to reuse them. The steady creation of new characters by artists also greatly expanded the range of choices.

Q. What is Emo­ticon Plus?

A. It is a subscription service that gives users unlimited access to multiple emoji sets in exchange for a recurring fee. Users can easily try a wide range of characters, while creators gain more opportunities to be discovered.

Q. Is it a good idea to add character stickers to a WordPress site?

A. They can help if they fit the tone and purpose of the article. First, however, make sure the images do not obscure the text or slow down the page, and check their size and placement.

Q. What should I be most careful about when using emojis on WordPress?

A. Check the copyright status and whether you have permission to use the material. Rather than downloading and reproducing characters from another service, it is safer to use images you created yourself or materials licensed for official use.

WordPress Plugins

SOHO SEO

DecoBlocks

LUX Content Migration