Since Apple announced animoji in September, the digital animated masks seem to have chiefly served as a way for iPhone X users to make silly karaoke videos. But with the upcoming release of iOS 11.3, animoji might finally have its killer app: A cartoon skull that lets you pretend you’re a chattering pile of bones as might be found in a haunted house or on a pirate ship.
Image: Apple
On Wednesday, the tech giant announced that the update (due to be released this autumn) will add four new faces to animoji: Lion, bear, dragon and skull. While the first three will surely add some ferocity to animoji’s otherwise gentle menagerie – and serve as a welcome tool for chewing out blundering friends and colleagues via cartoon animal – it’s the last one that caught our eye.
So far, the biggest meme of 2018 has been intentionally poisoning yourself, a joke that seems to reflect a general upshift in our collective death drive. But why consume harmful soap products when you can skip right to the good part and instantly become a spooky, scary skeleton?
The advantages to being an eerie disembodied skull are, of course, innumerable: Bones feel no hunger, tiredness or pain; they never have to work or go to school; and also they look rad as freakin’ hell. Sadly, Apple has given no indication that animoji will be coming any devices other than the iPhone X. If you don’t have a spare grand lying around, you can always just paint your face and patiently wait for better days.