Snapchat Tests Bitmoji Avatars in Wheelchairs

Published Mar 02, 2021

Bitmoji takes another step towards inclusivity and representation of diversity in its community.

Bitmoji was created by a company called Bitstrips, which was founded in 2007 by Jacob Blackstock, David Kennedy, Shahan Panth, Dorian Baldwin, and Jesse Brown. Soon after Bitstrips launched Bitmoji, the company was acquired by Snapchat in 2016.

Bitmoji has since become more widely known and used than it ever was.

Nowadays, Bitmoji has been focusing much of its efforts on giving its users more avatar personalization options for inclusivity. If Bitmoji's newest additions are any indication of what's to come, the future looks promising.

Bitmoji Adds Wheelchair Representation

Bitmoji, Snapchat's cartoon avatar creation app, is test launching new sticker selections featuring the avatar in a manual wheelchair. In creating the designs, Bitmoji reviewed community feedback and worked closely with Snapchat's disability rights advisor.

As a new step in our ongoing efforts around inclusivity, we released a selection of our most popular Bitmoji stickers with a manual wheelchair option. We want to thank the community that helped us get here & we encourage you to submit feedback & learn more https://t.co/m5SO5dypjt pic.twitter.com/wBJj0qUgFA
— Bitmoji (@Bitmoji) February 26, 2021

To find the new stickers of your Bitmoji avatar in a wheelchair, you can use the search function to search for the keyword "wheelchair." This works in the Bitmoji app, Chrome browser extension, iOS keyboard, and Gboard.

If you are sharing on Snapchat or from Bitmoji's Android keyboard, you can use smart sticker suggestion feature while typing.

Some apparel options may not look quite right with the new wheelchair selections— Bitmoji admits that it is having some technical difficulties. The service suggests trying a different outfit or pair of shoes as it works through the kinks of this testing period.

Bitmoji Continues Its Inclusivity Project

Bitmoji Support says that Bitmoji's mission has "always been to create that reflect and represent the diversity" of its community. The addition of these new sticker designs is a great step forward in that regard.

If you have any suggestions to improve these new stickers or any future inclusive designs, Bitmoji encourages that you submit a support request.