Was There Ever a Robber Emoji on iPhone or Android?

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Learn all about the missing Robber emoji & the Mandela Effect
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Have you ever sworn you used a Robber emoji while texting a friend? If you’ve tried using it recently, you may have wondered where it went. You might be surprised to find out that even though many people remember using a Robber emoji, it never existed (which may or may not be the result of the Mandela Effect…more on that later). Read on to learn everything there is to know about the mysterious Robber emoji and some alternatives you can use in its place.

What Happened to the Robber Emoji?

A Robber emoji wearing a black mask and a striped shirt never existed. Some think it may have come from a video game or movie, but it’s most likely an example of the Mandela Effect or a phenomenon in which many people believe something untrue.

Section 1 of 4:

Did the Robber emoji exist?

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    No Robber emojis exist in any universal emoji set, including on iPhone or Android. [1] Many people may believe they have seen or used a Robber emoji. They claim to have memories of an emoji depicting a Robber wearing a black-and-white striped shirt, a black mask, and a beanie. He carried a bag with a dollar sign on it.
    • The emoji is either a head-and-shoulders image facing the viewer or a full-body running to the side.
    • Some masked emojis exist, such as the Face with Medical Mask 😷 and the Superhero 🦸‍♂️, which may explain some of the confusion.
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Section 2 of 4:

Theories About the Robber Emoji

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    Some Reddit users have tried to explain their vivid memories of the Robber emoji by claiming it appeared in the 2017 film The Emoji Movie . There is a hacker character in the movie named Jailbreak who vaguely resembles the descriptions of the Robber emoji. [2] While Jailbreak does wear a black beanie, she doesn’t wear a mask or striped shirt.
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    This app game featured characters that were represented by emojis. Some believed the game had a Robber emoji that you could use for your character on iPhone or Android. [3] The game featured a raccoon emoji that represented burglary, which may explain why some remember a Robber emoji associated with Bitlife . [4]
    • No one could locate a Robber emoji when the claim was further investigated.
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    A few people believe that all of the early emojis related to crime were removed or changed to another emoji, like the original gun emoji, which was changed to a water pistol. There’s no evidence that the Robber emoji was removed or transformed into another emoji.
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    The Skype bandit emoticon differs from the proposed Robber emojis in several ways. It’s not a head-and-shoulders or full-body emoji, and it doesn’t have a striped shirt or a money bag. Instead, the emoticon is a head wearing a black ski mask.
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Section 3 of 4:

Robber Emoji & the Mandela Effect

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    The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon that describes when a group of people consistently misremember facts, events, or other details. They either remember things that aren’t real, or their memories are warped, and they share the same incorrect memories. [5] It can often be difficult to tell which memories are real .
    • The Mandela Effect was identified by author and paranormal researcher Fiona Broome after realizing that she and many others mistakenly believed – and had vivid memories – that the South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s. [6]
    • There is some thought that people are confusing Mandela with Steve Biko, another South African anti-apartheid activist who was killed in prison in 1977. [7]
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    False memories about the death of Nelson Mandela and a missing Robber emoji aren’t the only examples of the Mandela Effect. Many of these are examples of marketing images and dialogue from iconic films. Here are a few examples:
    • Rich Uncle Pennybags’ Monocle: Many believe the Monopoly mascot has a monocle, possibly because it symbolizes wealth along with his top hat and coattails. But this character has never had a monocle. [8]
    • Fruit of the Loom Cornucopia: Many people believe the Fruit of the Loom logo used to include a cornucopia or horn-shaped basket. However, this isn’t true. Fruit of the Loom has even posted about it on Twitter (X). [9]
    • “Luke, I am your father.”: Many people recite Darth Vader’s iconic line in The Empire Strikes Back as, “Luke, I am your father.” According to Lucasfilm, the company that produced the Star Wars films, the correct line is, “No, I am your father.” [10] However, even James Earl Jones, the actor who voiced Darth Vader, remembers it as, “Luke, I am your father.” [11]
    • Sinbad’s Shazaam : A group of people who grew up in the 1990s insists they remember a movie called Shazaam that starred Sinbad as a genie. There’s even a Reddit community devoted to finding out what happened. Sinbad has denied the movie exists . Some believe these people confuse a Sinbad movie with a 1996 movie starring Shaquille O’Neal called Kazaam .
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    There is no evidence that these emojis were a part of any emoji set, meaning they could be examples of the Mandela Effect.
    • Hiker: Many people remember a Hiker emoji who wears shorts, a backpack, and a helmet and carries trekking poles. Some also remember seeing a mountain in the background. There’s no evidence it ever existed. [12]
    • Teal Flip-Flop: A few users on social media believe there was a Teal Flip-Flop emoji. No flip-flop emoji existed until a Thong Sandal emoji was added in 2020. [13]
    • Igloo: In May 2023, a user on Instagram posted about how they remember seeing an igloo emoji , but it never existed. The post has received nearly 15,000 likes.
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Section 4 of 4:

Alternatives to the Robber Emoji

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    Since there’s no Robber emoji, use other emojis with a sinister feel to humorously discuss a crime when sending texts or react to Instagram posts . The two most commonly substituted emojis are the detective 🕵️ and the bust in silhouette 👤.
    • Detective 🕵️: The detective emoji features a figure wearing a fedora hat and coat while holding a magnifying glass. It suggests a crime has occurred that he needs to get to the bottom of. There’s also a woman detective emoji 🕵️‍♀️.
    • Bust in Silhouette 👤: This emoji suggests a mysterious person whose face can’t be seen, so they’re a good choice to use instead of a robber.
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    A single emoji may not be enough to get your meaning across. In that case, combine multiple relevant emojis to communicate the idea of theft. Here are a few of the most popular options:
    • Money Bag & Bust in Silhouette 💰👤: Use the Bust in Silhouette and a Money Bag to suggest a sinister person stealing something valuable. Substitute any other valuable item for the Money Bag, such as the Gem Stone 💎, Crown 👑, Racing Car 🏎️, or Motor Boat 🛥️.
    • Pirate Flag & Money Bag 🏴‍☠️💰: Since pirates are often seen raiding or stealing gold, the Pirate Flag combined with the Money Bag, Gem Stone, or other items of value can suggest a crime.
    • Detective, Briefcase, & Moneybag 🕵️💼💰: The Detective, Briefcase, and Money Bag imply that someone is investigating a more sophisticated crime where money is hidden away in a briefcase, which is a common trope in movies and TV shows. [14]
    • Bust in Silhouette, Water Pistol, & Money Bag 👤🔫💰 Add a Water Pistol to the Bust in Silhouette and Money Bag to suggest an armed robbery.
    • Cowboy Hat Face, Water Pistol, & Money Bag 🤠🔫💰: Replace the Bust in Silhouette with the Cowboy Hat Face for a bandit from the Wild West.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://emojiguide.com/blog/robber-emoji/
      2. ↑ https://sonypicturesanimation.fandom.com/wiki/Jailbreak
      3. ↑ https://emojiguide.com/blog/robber-emoji/
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/fUXq2B0AM5A?t=333
      5. ↑ https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-the-mandela-effect.html
      6. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/science/Mandela-effect
      7. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Steve-Biko
      8. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mandela-effect
      9. ↑ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cornucopia-fruit-of-the-loom/
      1. ↑ https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/defining-moments-i-am-your-father/
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/GQ1mmkKb_BQ?t=8
      3. ↑ https://gearjunkie.com/outdoor/hiking/missing-hiker-emoji
      4. ↑ https://emojipedia.org/thong-sandal
      5. ↑ https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BriefcaseFullOfMoney

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