【Sabik (2025)】

It looks like Apple is Sabik (2025)really making an effort to stay hip by celebrating some hot topics from 2016.

When the company released the first beta version of its iOS 10.2 software on Tuesday, users got a look at 72 brand new emoji. And while most of them seemed great -- after all, we finally got an avocado emoji -- two in particular are raising some serious commotion.

Through some twisted turn of events, Apple thought that it would be a smart idea to release a clown and gorilla emoji, which naturally set off discussion about the recent creepy clown craze and the deceased gorilla, Harambe.

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To refresh, one of this year's most terrifying trends arose in August, when people dressed as clowns began terrorizing folks across the world. In the midst of the 2016 clown-pocolypse, many Apple users are wondering why on earth the company would create an emoji of a creepy clown face.

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Many people who snuck a peek at the new emoji on Tuesday spoke out on Twitter about their fear and confusion surrounding the poorly timed choice of caricature.

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One brave soul even went so far as to suggest that Apple was behind the creepy clown craze, claiming it was an early attempt to hype the new emoji update.

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Those who weren't petrified by the clown emoji were too busy questioning Apple's reasoning behind adding a gorilla emoji.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

While the company did add a variety of other animals in the update, such as a fox, deer and bat, the timing of the gorilla is especially controversial considering what went down at the Cincinnati Zoo back in May.

Harambe, a western lowland gorilla was shot and killed after grabbing a 4-year-old boy and dragging him across his exhibit.

Following the event, the gorilla-turned-internet-meme inspired some serious controversy online, and the constant harassment from Harambe fans eventually drove the Cincinnati Zoo away from social media all together.

Though the new Apple emoji has no official relation to Harambe, people can't help but remember the beloved creature and take note of the coincidental timing.

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Intentional or not, thanks to Apple these two key moments in 2016 will go down in emoji history.

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Though Apple has not yet announced the official iOS 10.2 release date, the new symbols, which were approved as part of Unicode 9.0 in June 2016, are expected to arrive later this month.

Topics Apple