Wannabe Luke Cage or Crazy Eyes? Log in to Netflix

Weblog: the streaming giant has given its user profile icons a star-studded makeover

As you log into your Netflix user profile you might notice that the default profile icon – formerly a flat, 2D smiley – has been given a facelift. These five-year-old avatars haven't been ditched; you can still choose the moustachioed sunglasses smiley, superheroine or chicken face, but they are decidedly more colourful and have more depth.

And the classic profile icons now have company: there are 169 new icons from 24 of Netflix's most popular shows. Grown-ups can fan out by choosing Jonathan from Queer Eye, Crazy Eyes from Orange Is the New Black, or Luke Cage from Marvel's The Defenders, but the bulk of new icons are for kids, allowing them to customise with characters from shows such as Alexa & Katie, Trollhunters, Super Monsters and Fuller House. As Jonathan would say: can you believe?

Not exactly a ground-breaking update, but a reminder for those who don’t use this Netflix feature that you can create up to five separate profiles within a single account and avoid having your kid’s Peppa Pig binge-watches skew your recommendations.