The "=^.^=" emote or "smiling pet" emote is a text-based representation of a cute, happy animal face, typically a cat or a kitten. It features equal signs for the eyes and a caret or circumflex accent for the nose, with two periods or dots below it to represent the mouth. The overall effect is a cheerful and playful expression that is often used in online communication, particularly in chats or forums related to pets or animals.