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Great Scott! 5 Reasons Why The 'Back To The Future Emoji' Still Doesn't Exist (And The Unofficial Ones You Can Use)

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Despite the enduring global popularity and cultural significance of the Back to the Future franchise, as of December 26, 2025, there is still no official, universally recognized "Back to the Future emoji" or a dedicated "DeLorean Time Machine emoji" within the Unicode Standard. This absence is a major point of curiosity for fans, forcing them to rely on creative workarounds and unofficial custom emojis on platforms like Slack and Discord to express their love for the iconic 1985 film and its sequels. The search for a simple icon representing the Flux Capacitor or Marty McFly's hoverboard remains a time-traveling quest for digital communicators.

The lack of a dedicated emoji for one of cinema's most recognizable vehicles—the stainless steel DeLorean—highlights the rigorous and often complex process of getting a new icon approved by the Unicode Consortium. While the film’s legacy continues to inspire everything from memes to AI-generated images, the official emoji keyboard remains stuck in the past, prompting fans to wonder what it would take to finally see a tiny, perfectly rendered DeLorean emoji capable of hitting 88 mph right from their smartphone screen.

The State of the Back to the Future Emoji in 2025: Unofficial Alternatives

Since the official Unicode Consortium has not yet approved a dedicated emoji for the franchise, the digital landscape has filled the void with a robust ecosystem of fan-made and custom icons. These unofficial emojis are the only way to quickly reference the film in many online communities.

  • The DeLorean Emoji (Custom): The most popular unofficial icon is clearly the DeLorean emoji. On platforms like Slack and Discord, designers and AI Emoji Generators have created various versions of the DeLorean Time Machine with its signature gull-wing doors open, often labeled simply as `:delorean:` or `:back-to-the-future-delorean:`.
  • Marty McFly and Doc Brown Emojis: Custom emoji directories also feature icons representing the main characters. These often include a small figure with Marty’s signature red puffer vest (or a vest and a cowboy hat, referencing *Back to the Future Part III*), or Doc Brown’s wild white hair and radiation suit.
  • BTTF Logo Emoji: A simplified version of the iconic red and yellow Back to the Future logo is also a common custom Slackmoji, allowing users to quickly reference the entire trilogy.

While these custom icons serve a purpose, they lack the universal recognition and seamless integration of a standard Unicode emoji. They are platform-specific, meaning your Marty McFly emoji from Discord won't translate correctly to a text message on a friend's iPhone, often showing up as a blank box or a question mark.

Why the Flux Capacitor Still Isn't on Your Keyboard

The question of why a global phenomenon like *Back to the Future* doesn't have an official emoji boils down to the stringent criteria set by the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee (ESC). Adding a new emoji is not simply a popularity contest; it's a technical and cultural vetting process that seeks to ensure long-term, high-frequency utility.

The main hurdles for a Back to the Future emoji (likely the DeLorean) are:

  1. The "Pop Culture" Problem: Unicode generally avoids emojis that are too specific to a single fictional work, brand, or celebrity. While the DeLorean is a recognized symbol of time travel, it is still fundamentally tied to the *Back to the Future* intellectual property. The criteria favor concepts like "Charismatic Fauna/Flora," "Important Cultural Totems," or objects with broad, non-fictional utility.
  2. High Expected Usage: A proposal must demonstrate that the emoji will be used frequently and for a variety of purposes beyond just referencing the movie. While fans would use a Flux Capacitor emoji constantly, its general utility for a non-fan audience is limited.
  3. Existing Alternatives: The ESC often rejects proposals if a similar concept already exists. Emojis like the 🚗 (Automobile), ⏱️ (Stopwatch), or 🚀 (Rocket) might be deemed sufficient to represent the concepts of "car" or "time travel," even if they lack the specific 1.21 Gigawatts energy.

To overcome these challenges, a successful proposal would need to frame the DeLorean Time Machine not as a movie prop, but as a universally understood symbol of time travel itself, much like the 🛸 (Flying Saucer) represents alien life.

The Ultimate Back to the Future Emoji Wishlist: 15 Iconic Entities

If the Unicode Consortium ever decides to embrace the spirit of pop culture and grant the franchise an official emoji, the choice would be difficult. To achieve true topical authority, the article must consider all the iconic elements that drive the story of Marty McFly and Doc Brown. Here are 15 entities from the trilogy that deserve their own tiny icon, complete with their potential Unicode name:

  1. DeLorean Time Machine: The ultimate choice. (Proposed Name: 🕰️ TIME MACHINE CAR)
  2. Flux Capacitor: The heart of the time machine. (Proposed Name: ⚡ FLUX CAPACITOR)
  3. Hoverboard: The iconic ride from BTTF II. (Proposed Name: 🛹 HOVERBOARD)
  4. Gray Puffer Vest: Marty's signature look. (Proposed Name: 🧥 RED VEST)
  5. "Great Scott!" Face: A shocked face with Doc Brown’s expression. (Proposed Name: 🤯 GREAT SCOTT FACE)
  6. Outatime License Plate: The most famous license plate in cinema. (Proposed Name: 🏷️ OUTATIME PLATE)
  7. Hill Valley Clock Tower: Where the lightning strike occurs. (Proposed Name: ⚡ CLOCK TOWER)
  8. Biff Tannen's Almanac: The key plot device of *BTTF II*. (Proposed Name: 📰 SPORTS ALMANAC)
  9. Self-Lacing Shoe: Marty's futuristic footwear. (Proposed Name: 👟 SELF-LACING SHOE)
  10. 1.21 Gigawatts: The energy requirement for time travel. (Proposed Name: ⚡ GIGA WATT BOLT)
  11. Peabody's Dog: The first "time traveler." (Proposed Name: 🐕 EINSTEIN DOG)
  12. Chicken (Marty's Fear): A reference to Marty's biggest insecurity. (Proposed Name: 🐔 CHICKEN!)
  13. Western Hat: Doc Brown's look in *Part III*. (Proposed Name: 🤠 WESTERN HAT)
  14. "We Don't Need Roads" Sign: The perfect closing line. (Proposed Name: 🛣️ NO ROADS SIGN)
  15. Plutonium Casing: The original fuel source. (Proposed Name: ☢️ PLUTONIUM CASE)

How You Can Propose the Official DeLorean Emoji

If you are passionate about rectifying this digital injustice, the power to propose a new emoji rests with the public. The Unicode Consortium accepts proposals annually, and a well-researched, data-driven submission could finally put the DeLorean on the global keyboard.

The current process, which typically aims for new emojis to be released in a future update (like Unicode 18.0 or 19.0), requires you to:

  • Demonstrate Compatibility and Distinctiveness: Show that the proposed DeLorean emoji is not easily confused with existing icons and has a clear, unique visual identity. The iconic gull-wing doors and stainless steel body offer strong distinctiveness.
  • Provide Evidence of Frequency: You must submit data proving that the concept—the DeLorean or time travel—is frequently searched for, requested, or used in existing digital communication. This is where the popularity of the movie and the high volume of fan-made Slackmojis can be powerful evidence.
  • Show Completeness and Open-Endedness: The concept should be broad enough to represent more than just the film. Framing the DeLorean as the definitive "Time Machine" icon, rather than just the BTTF car, would be key to a successful proposal.
  • Follow Design Guidelines: The proposal must include high-quality, simple images of the emoji at various sizes (e.g., 18x18 and 72x72 pixels) to ensure it works across all platforms, from Apple to Google.

Until a dedicated fan or a major corporation takes on the task of submitting a comprehensive proposal, we’ll be stuck using the ⏱️ and 🚗 combination to represent our favorite time travel vehicle. For now, the custom DeLorean emoji on Discord and Slack will have to be our digital equivalent of the Flux Capacitor, keeping the dream of an official icon alive and running at 88 mph.

Great Scott! 5 Reasons Why the 'Back to the Future Emoji' Still Doesn't Exist (And The Unofficial Ones You Can Use)
back to the future emoji
back to the future emoji

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