[Proud] TikTok Emoji

About

The [Proud] TikTok Emoji refers to a secret emoji on TikTok that appears when the user types "[proud]" in brackets. The emoji is a white character with a black outline, seen talking, resembling someone saying, "Heh," or relaying information that it thinks is important. In turn, the emoticon has also been called the Heh Emoji. In 2024, the [Proud] emoji was used en masse in TikTok comment sections. It was used to joke about saying something with confidence. The emoji was a favorite among TikTokers and spawned fan art and memes.

Origin

In 2021, TikTok launched a keyboard of hidden Easter egg emojis that could be accessed by typing in codes surrounded by brackets.^[1] On April 5th, 2021, TikToker^[2] @kuyachrisf posted a video on the topic, gaining over 748,500 plays and 48,200 likes in three years (shown below).

One of the emoji's codes is "[proud]." It shows a white character with a black outline in the middle of saying something it thinks is important. It's predominantly used to portray confidence.

Spread

Going into the 2020s, the [Proud] emoji was frequently used on TikTok, specifically within comment sections. For instance, on July 15th, 2024, TikToker^[3] @stephensclub posted a video about the emoji, writing, "me everytime I see someone use this tiktok emoji in a comment section," gaining over 914,400 plays and 220,300 likes in two months (shown below).

On August 8th, 2024, TikToker^[4] @nvrmii posted a slow fade-in meme that used the [Proud] emoji, with a top caption reading, "Heh..how i feel after saying the most corniest shi ever with a [proud] at the end." The video received roughly 134,200 plays and 30,000 likes in a month (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References