Graphical emoticons built into Gmail. Ugh.

Usually I can take it or leave it when it comes to emoticons.  But yesterday Google released graphical emoticons in Gmail.  I like them in chat, and occasional ones in email conversations, but I've too often seen emoticons abused.  Now with graphical versions of them built-in to the online email used by universities and companies alike, I'm a little bit concerned that my email box will soon be filled with small graphical unmentionables strewn throughout the text to communicate ideas "that words alone fail to describe".