Hey, MJ. This is the upgrade. I am afraid you can't get rid of the emoticon, but you can change your name to something you like better. You may have to wait for 24 hours, though. It is the 'reserve your nickname' option.
Some people have had luck going through the chat page and changing their profile there.
I haven't tried the option of creating a new passport, though, to see about dodging that emoticon. Later on I will experiment with that.