My GS4 Emoticons look squashed

[BillDennes]

When I started with Android, it was on Motorola phones. The little smilies and frownies, etc. that appeared in text messages, etc. were easy to read and recognize. Since I switched to my GS4 all of the emoticons have taken on the appearance of a shriveled Hershey's Kiss, and it's really tough to tell one from another. This applies to incoming and outgoing traffic. I imagine it's part of Samsung's customization.

Is there a setting that addresses this?

Could I replace a template file somewhere that would restore un-distorted smilies to my phone? I'm on VZW for the superior availability, but this also means no custom ROMs for me.

TIA!