diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs
index 21db50e02..3f4574735 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs
@@ -20,8 +20,9 @@ pub use custom_value::CustomValue;
 use fancy_regex::Regex;
 pub use from_value::FromValue;
 pub use lazy_record::LazyRecord;
-use nu_utils::locale::get_system_locale_string;
-use nu_utils::{get_system_locale, IgnoreCaseExt};
+use nu_utils::{
+    contains_emoji, get_system_locale, locale::get_system_locale_string, IgnoreCaseExt,
+};
 use num_format::ToFormattedString;
 pub use range::*;
 pub use record::Record;
@@ -789,7 +790,20 @@ impl Value {
 
     /// Convert Value into a debug string
     pub fn debug_value(&self) -> String {
-        format!("{self:#?}")
+        match self {
+            Value::String { val, .. } => {
+                if contains_emoji(val) {
+                    // This has to be an emoji, so let's display the code points that make it up.
+                    format!(
+                        "{:#?}",
+                        Value::string(val.escape_unicode().to_string(), self.span())
+                    )
+                } else {
+                    format!("{self:#?}")
+                }
+            }
+            _ => format!("{self:#?}"),
+        }
     }
 
     /// Convert Value into a parsable string (quote strings)
diff --git a/crates/nu-utils/src/emoji.rs b/crates/nu-utils/src/emoji.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d3b2fe6f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/nu-utils/src/emoji.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+pub fn contains_emoji(val: &str) -> bool {
+    // Let's do some special handling for emojis
+    const ZERO_WIDTH_JOINER: &str = "\u{200d}";
+    const VARIATION_SELECTOR_16: &str = "\u{fe0f}";
+    const SKIN_TONES: [&str; 5] = [
+        "\u{1f3fb}", // Light Skin Tone
+        "\u{1f3fc}", // Medium-Light Skin Tone
+        "\u{1f3fd}", // Medium Skin Tone
+        "\u{1f3fe}", // Medium-Dark Skin Tone
+        "\u{1f3ff}", // Dark Skin Tone
+    ];
+
+    val.contains(ZERO_WIDTH_JOINER)
+        || val.contains(VARIATION_SELECTOR_16)
+        || SKIN_TONES.iter().any(|skin_tone| val.contains(skin_tone))
+}
diff --git a/crates/nu-utils/src/lib.rs b/crates/nu-utils/src/lib.rs
index 6a0c23679..575704dc8 100644
--- a/crates/nu-utils/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-utils/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 mod casing;
 pub mod ctrl_c;
 mod deansi;
+pub mod emoji;
 pub mod locale;
 pub mod utils;
 
@@ -14,3 +15,4 @@ pub use casing::IgnoreCaseExt;
 pub use deansi::{
     strip_ansi_likely, strip_ansi_string_likely, strip_ansi_string_unlikely, strip_ansi_unlikely,
 };
+pub use emoji::contains_emoji;