Emoticons, just as display pictures used by your contacts are cached and stored already. Simply copy them from there...
For Windows Live Messenger this directory is
%temp%\MessengerCache\
The strangly named files there are all the PNGs and GIFs which WLM has recieved. Browse that directory with a graphics program like PainShopPro which can reconize graphic files (without having the proper extension).
Also read:
CookieRevised's reply to 'Where does MSN store it's stuff?'
and
CookieRevised's reply to 'How do CE/DP stealers work and do I need them?'
quote:
Originally posted by Mr. G
Hmmm..... when I want to copy any emoticon which is animated i don't go to the MSN Cache but I print screen several times and i save the emoticons after crop and then I make them animated and it always works for me!
That's not only the most crappy method I heared of and will result in only a bad version of the animation, it also takes waaaaaay longer than simply copying the already existing files.
/ 
