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 worksHeart shapes in outlines, pixel drawings, patterns, and animated decorations. Explore a particular style, or follow broken hearts and Valentine designs for a more specific message.
![Red background with black text reading 'te', 'love', 'tu', and '[spanglish]' in two identical vertical , each followed by a white pixelated heart symbol](/image/2822dfc007d1684506774d657fe772a466a6a9abf717713ca8216fee88707ab4){kind=small}
Look at the shape's role: a heart may carry the entire message, repeat as a pattern, or decorate a name or character. Pixel hearts focus on the motif; broken hearts and Valentine designs add more specific meanings. Watch animated versions for changes in both lettering and shape.
