From the archivist
It started with a game that needed a few authentic AIM icons. Then I had 1,000. Then 10,000. At some point, I had a buddy icon problem.
Read how this happenedYou made it this far
You have scrolled past 1,024 buddy icons, so I have some suspicions. My blog is where the other shiny digressions end up.
Subscribe to Shedletsky.comA language of tiny pictures
A picture barely 50 pixels wide, sitting beside an AIM screen name, could announce a mood, a fandom, an inside joke, or who someone wanted to be that day.
Read the short historyRecovered from the early web
Buddy icons survive in old directories, fan sites, downloadable packs, and web archives. The archive preserves the original files, groups known copies, and records where each one was found.
How the archive worksFive Pointed Stars buddy icons are defined by visible five-point star symbols, from a single icon badge to repeated small clusters placed near short labels. Filled or outlined points usually carry the primary visual weight while text, names, or emojis sit as supporting decoration.
![Red and black pixelated text displays 'ALEX HAS SEXY HAIR =]' with a star symbol, alternating between red background with white text and black background with white text.](/image/36dfe56f5d471bc04ff20e2ac29b44cb84bee69cb58f29fd91d38550ad9c1003){kind=small}
