diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/actions/custom_emojis.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/actions/custom_emojis.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0595a6da7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/actions/custom_emojis.js
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import api from 'flavours/glitch/util/api';
+
+export const CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_REQUEST = 'CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_REQUEST';
+export const CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_SUCCESS = 'CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_SUCCESS';
+export const CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_FAIL = 'CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_FAIL';
+
+export function fetchCustomEmojis() {
+  return (dispatch, getState) => {
+    dispatch(fetchCustomEmojisRequest());
+
+    api(getState).get('/api/v1/custom_emojis').then(response => {
+      dispatch(fetchCustomEmojisSuccess(response.data));
+    }).catch(error => {
+      dispatch(fetchCustomEmojisFail(error));
+    });
+  };
+};
+
+export function fetchCustomEmojisRequest() {
+  return {
+    type: CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_REQUEST,
+  };
+};
+
+export function fetchCustomEmojisSuccess(custom_emojis) {
+  return {
+    type: CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_SUCCESS,
+    custom_emojis,
+  };
+};
+
+export function fetchCustomEmojisFail(error) {
+  return {
+    type: CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_FAIL,
+    error,
+  };
+};
diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/containers/mastodon.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/containers/mastodon.js
index 1c98cd5f7..4bd9cb75e 100644
--- a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/containers/mastodon.js
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/containers/mastodon.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { showOnboardingOnce } from 'flavours/glitch/actions/onboarding';
 import { BrowserRouter, Route } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { ScrollContext } from 'react-router-scroll-4';
 import UI from 'flavours/glitch/features/ui';
+import { fetchCustomEmojis } from 'flavours/glitch/actions/custom_emojis';
 import { hydrateStore } from 'flavours/glitch/actions/store';
 import { connectUserStream } from 'flavours/glitch/actions/streaming';
 import { IntlProvider, addLocaleData } from 'react-intl';
@@ -19,6 +20,9 @@ export const store = configureStore();
 const hydrateAction = hydrateStore(initialState);
 store.dispatch(hydrateAction);
 
+// load custom emojis
+store.dispatch(fetchCustomEmojis());
+
 export default class Mastodon extends React.PureComponent {
 
   static propTypes = {
diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/reducers/custom_emojis.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/reducers/custom_emojis.js
index 592cea8dc..90e3040a4 100644
--- a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/reducers/custom_emojis.js
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/reducers/custom_emojis.js
@@ -1,16 +1,15 @@
-import { List as ImmutableList } from 'immutable';
-import { STORE_HYDRATE } from 'flavours/glitch/actions/store';
+import { List as ImmutableList, fromJS as ConvertToImmutable } from 'immutable';
+import { CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_SUCCESS } from 'flavours/glitch/actions/custom_emojis';
 import { search as emojiSearch } from 'flavours/glitch/util/emoji/emoji_mart_search_light';
 import { buildCustomEmojis } from 'flavours/glitch/util/emoji';
 
-const initialState = ImmutableList();
+const initialState = ImmutableList([]);
 
 export default function custom_emojis(state = initialState, action) {
-  switch(action.type) {
-  case STORE_HYDRATE:
-    emojiSearch('', { custom: buildCustomEmojis(action.state.get('custom_emojis', [])) });
-    return action.state.get('custom_emojis');
-  default:
-    return state;
+  if(action.type === CUSTOM_EMOJIS_FETCH_SUCCESS) {
+    state = ConvertToImmutable(action.custom_emojis);
+    emojiSearch('', { custom: buildCustomEmojis(state) });
   }
+
+  return state;
 };