Wakabayashi Yasushi

Wakabayashi Yasushi is a Japanese designer, known as the creator of the first Kaomoji. He used (^_^) to replicate a facial expression. Despite not creating the design until 1986, a number of years after the American Scott Fahlman, it is believed that the concepts evolved completely independently of each other. This is despite them both using ASCII characters.

It kickstarted a movement in Japan, which later spread to other parts of the world. It was frequently used in anime in the 90s and 2000s.

His design and the impression that Kaomoji had on Japanese culture, also lead to a rise in other Asian countries creating their own versions based on Yasushi's concept. Keurim mal in South Korea in the 1990s is one such example.