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 worksMagenta marks buddy icons where magenta or pink-purple tones are a defining accent, from swirled hearts and checkered fields to text blocks and abstract marks. Spot it by magenta letters, outlines, or small shapes that stay readable beside dark or cyan neighbors.
![Pixelated text and symbols on black background: 'Abby' in pink, plus sign, 'Steph', equals sign, '=]' with a white heart symbol above the first 'Abby'.](/image/f37c9b4090185d97d33e21cb3bf50f3ef1ffc7d8c39285a27fa6dca32849d4cb){kind=small}
![Black background with scattered heart outlines in green, purple, yellow, and gray; white text letters A, U, t, T, Y arranged vertically on left side; 'thats me[:]' text in lower right corner.](/image/f49a6c8c70aece50712a8932b8f78792eab6361f1b92d4e639c75581d23fa2f2)
