(Photo: MetroWeekly)

In recent years emojis have transitioned from an SMS-based shorthand primarily used in Japan to text decoration employed by everyone from iPhone-obsessed tweens to twenty-somethings still on their parents' family plan. Emojis officially appeared on the iPhone 3Gs back in 2009, and have since experienced numerous updates, with the newest version finally incorporating a pizza icon into its visual repertoire.

New York Mag interviewed Willem Van Lancker, a former intern at Apple who designed 400 of the original 500 emojis. But as it turns out--despite the tyrannical rise of geeks--"I created emojis" isn't as foolproof a pickup line as you might imagine.

Mr. Van Lancker's girlfriend was a big fan of emojis before she even met him, and as such she's "definitely better at crafting creative narratives." When he finally told her that he created the majority of the characters, she was impressed--but not that impressed. "When I told her, she was floored that I had made all of them," he said. "But it didn't help me get a date with her, at first."

If Mr. Van Lancker's experience is any indication, we wouldn't recommend bragging about your emoji proclivities on a first date any time soon.

(h/t Maureen O'Connor)