diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/markdown.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/markdown.js
index e8e3852170..db095bd9d2 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/markdown.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/markdown.js
@@ -292,6 +292,12 @@ var bugdown_data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '../../zerver
          expected: '<p>@*notagroup*</p>'},
         {input: 'This is a realm filter `hello` with text after it',
          expected: '<p>This is a realm filter <code>hello</code> with text after it</p>'},
+        // Test the emoticon conversion
+        {input: ':)',
+         expected: '<p>:)</p>'},
+        {input: ':)',
+         expected: '<p><span class="emoji emoji-1f603" title="smiley">:smiley:</span></p>',
+         translate_emoticons: true},
     ];
 
     // We remove one of the unicode emoji we put as input in one of the test
@@ -300,6 +306,9 @@ var bugdown_data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '../../zerver
     delete emoji_codes.codepoint_to_name['1f6b2'];
 
     test_cases.forEach(function (test_case) {
+        // Disable emoji conversion by default.
+        page_params.translate_emoticons = test_case.translate_emoticons || false;
+
         var input = test_case.input;
         var expected = test_case.expected;
 
@@ -309,17 +318,6 @@ var bugdown_data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '../../zerver
 
         assert.equal(expected, output);
     });
-
-    // Here to arrange 100% test coverage for the new emoticons code
-    // path.  TODO: Have a better way to test this setting in both
-    // states, once we implement the local echo feature properly.
-    // Probably a good technique would be to support toggling the
-    // page_params setting inside the `test_cases.forEach` loop above.
-    page_params.translate_emoticons = true;
-    var message = {raw_content: ":)"};
-    markdown.apply_markdown(message);
-    assert.equal('<p><span class="emoji emoji-1f603" title="smiley">:smiley:</span></p>', message.content);
-    page_params.translate_emoticons = false;
 }());
 
 (function test_subject_links() {