A Vermont bill would bring emoji license plates to the US

With their ability to add a dash of color and whimsy to a text message, emoji have become an indispensable part of our online interactions. Thanks to a new piece of proposed legislation introduced last week in the Vermont House of Representatives, they could soon start making state license plates more colorful as well.

The bill, introduced by Democrat Rebecca White, would allow drivers to add one of six emoji to their license plates. The pictographs would be in addition to whatever combination of letters and numbers the state's Commissioner of Motor Vehicles assigns to a car or a driver picks for themselves. So you won't have to worry about saying something like "thinking face, smiling face with heart-eyes and face with tears of joy" the next time you need to report a Vermont driver to police.

If the bill passes, Vermont would be the first state in the US to allow emoji on license plates -- but not the first place in the world. According to NBC 5, that distinction goes to Queensland, Australia. As of last year, people in the country's second-largest state have been able to add one of five emoji to their plates for about $336. Notably, Vermont hasn't said how much it would charge for the plates, nor which six emoji drivers will be able to pick from. Just as importantly, it hasn't decided if it will create its own take on the designs or use an existing repository. We would love to see the blob emoji make more of a comeback.