diff --git a/create-database.js b/create-database.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..671ed44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/create-database.js
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+let fs = require("fs").promises
+let {promisify} = require("util")
+let getAverageColor = promisify(require("image-average-color"))
+let resolvePath = require("path").resolve
+let {EOL} = require("os")
+
+function convertHexCodeToEmoji(code) {
+	return String.fromCodePoint(parseInt(code, 16))
+}
+
+function getCodeFromFilename(path) {
+	let match = path.match(/emoji_([a-f0-9]+)\.png/)
+	if (!match || !match[1]) {
+		throw new Error(`${path} doesn't look like an emoji filename`)
+	}
+	let [, code] = match
+	return code
+}
+
+;(async function() {
+	/*
+		this is a directory full of emoji extracted by Devon Govett's emoji
+		extractor
+	*/
+	let emojiDirName = "emoji"
+	let dir = await fs.readdir(emojiDirName)
+	for (let path of dir) {
+		let [red, green, blue, alpha] = await getAverageColor(
+			resolvePath(emojiDirName, path)
+		)
+		let emoji = convertHexCodeToEmoji(getCodeFromFilename(path))
+		process.stdout.write([emoji, red, green, blue, alpha].join("\t") + EOL)
+	}
+})()