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 worksLoves denotes text-led buddy icons built around the phrase loves, usually with heart symbols and affectionate statements. A practical check is repeated message lines and tiny star or heart ornaments, where the lettering is the central visual and subject.
![Pixelated image with text overlays: "I LUV FLIP FLOPS" over colorful shapes, "ALEXA LOVES THE EARTH" on white background, and "ASPEN LIKES PRUNES:]" with dark silhouette.](/image/d5dfd69e8739381135e8b68ec527065e6a9bf1bc27838ce608b776a22dea8d37){kind=small}
![Blue background with white pixelated text repeating 'OMG jess loves nicole more than you =]' and green plus signs scattered throughout.](/image/f36a8c106ca37703fc23f66bdb7c899ff01a364a91c9b11b0be7ad1549d7c78e){kind=small}
![Pixelated text reads "Bianca loves Ashley :]") with a pink heart symbol replacing the first character of the second line.](/image/ff988b4dfa2f326d832424fd98658598d0bdd5e5a7f9f135b2d8cc6a2577698d){kind=small}
