Bad news if your favourite emoji isn't part of new Queensland plate release

If your favourite emoji hasn't been included in the new personalised plate range due to be released next month, it's not looking good, with the possibility of extending the range not a priority.

State-owned Personalised Plates Queensland picked five of the "most popular" designs for the initial release on March 1 - "laugh out loud", "wink", "sunglasses", "heart" and "smile" emojis.

An example of emoji plates, which will be available in Queensland in less than two weeks.

The company said it was focused on the five and was conscious of giving Queensland drivers "too many product options".

"The recent rise in popularity and use of the emoji is unprecedented," PPQ said in a statement.

"Millions of Queenslanders are expressing themselves through emojis every day. These personalised plates offer another extension of this self-expression.

"PPQ will launch the emoji range with five designs based on research conducted into the most popular symbols.

"While we will consider adding to the range in the future, too many product options can cause 'creative paralysis' for customers.

"For this reason, we’re focusing on the most popular symbols for now."

Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts questioned whether the emojis could cause problems for the police's number plate recognition system, which scans cars and checks whether the driver has outstanding warrants if the vehicle is unregistered.

"Clearly the government is trying to sex up number plates, with a view to making more money, and I can understand that," he said on Tuesday.

"But the purpose of number plates is for the police to be able to identify vehicles.

"How do you write down the emoji in your number plate after an accident?"

However, the emojis would not be recognised as part of the number plate and were a decoration.

"The emoji characters will be part of the background plate design, not the five-character plate combination that forms a vehicle registration," PPQ said in a statement.

Illustration: Matt GoldingCredit:

"This is similar to other theme plate products such as Brisbane Broncos and State of Origin, where the plate design and team logos are part of the plate background.

"The emojis will not be read by number plate recognition software."

Drivers involved in an accident would also not be required to try and draw their emoji when exchanging details with fellow a motorist.

The emojis being a background feature also meant separate drivers could not get the same combination of numbers and letters with a different emoji.

Mr Potts was disappointed that a "road rage" emoji or a "stuck in M1 traffic" emoji were not options.

"There should be changeable emojis, so the face turns from a frown to a smiley depending on the driver's mood and as the traffic gets heavier it becomes angrier," he said.

"I'm still a big believer in the turd. If someone is in real trouble, the smiling turd should come up."

The emojis must be accompanied by a mixture of three letters and two numbers as part of the new plates, which cost $475.