DinoDance Twitch Emote Update Controversy

Overview

DinoDance Twitch Emote Update Controversy refers to an update on the Twitch emote DinoDance in late February 2024. The new version of the emote was released as part of a promotional feature for the Pokémon Day event, which sparked controversy and discourse across social media, as many people weren't excited with the redesigned dinosaur.

Background

On February 27th, 2024, journalist Zach Bussey tweeted^[1] that the streaming company Twitch had "updated the global animated emote DinoDance." The post (shown below) amassed more than 259,000 views and 280 likes in a few hours, quickly drawing backlash from fans of the original design.

Developments

Pokémon Day Collab

A few hours later, Twitch posted a video revealing the update on the emote was part of a promotional collab for the Pokémon Day event in which the character apparently "evolves." The post^[2] (shown below) received roughly 85,000 views and 523 likes in a few hours.

Online Reactions

The DinoDance was updated at midnight of February 27th, 2024, without any explanation or post from Twitch, which sparked some debates about the new design and the reasons for it. For example, X^[3] user @Invisoguy posted a clip about the updated emote a minute after it was launched on the platform, saying this was Twitch's "worst decision you've ever pushed through." The post (shown below) amassed more than 10,000 views and 161 likes in a few hours.

On February 27th, the emote update also sparked debates on Reddit, as Redditor Comprehensive-Elk-91^[4] posted a query on the Twitch channel about the DinoDance new design. The post (shown below, left) amassed more than 90 upvotes and 36 comments in a few hours.

On the same day, X^[5] user @Gutesey posted a version of the Hello, Human Resources?! meme comparing both versions of the emote (shown below, right). The tweet amassed roughly 28 likes and four retweets in a few hours.

Search Interest

External References