Most Popular Instagram Emoji Heart 2016

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Photo: Apple.

First came the most popular bakeries and hashtags. Now come the emoji. After reviewing the images, videos, and stories that got us commenting and Liking in 2016, Instagram has rounded up the 10 emoji that reigned supreme.

While many of the oft-used emoji have something in common with the most popular hashtag of the year (#love), there are a few surprising winners among the bunch. The party hat? Really? Given that 2016 was the year of the Olympics and the election, I would have thought the American flag emoji would have flown high. Or at least the flexed arm that seemed to have strengthened almost every post I saw all year.

Oh well, maybe next year those will rise to the top. Click through to count down the most popular emoji to No. 1, and take a look at some of our favorite Insta posts that used them in the captions.

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