The 1960s: making people happy
The smiley started life in the USA in 1963. The employees of an insurance company were worried about their jobs, so the boss asked a graphic artist to create an image to make them happy. The artist, Harvey Ball, drew a yellow smiling face in just ten minutes. The company printed thousands of badges with the smiley face. People loved it!
The 1970s: smiley goes to France
In 1971, two American brothers put the smiley on a card with the words "Have a Happy Day". They also produced T-Shirts, mugs and badges. At the same time, Frenchman Franklin Loufrani used smileys to highlight the good news in a newspaper. He trademarked the smiley and created his "Smiley Company"... which sold Smiley merchandising;-)
The 1980s: Hi-tech and music Smileys
The 1980s were exciting for the Smiley! An American computer scientist, Scott Fahlman, invented "emoticons":-). People later used them in e-mails. The British music industry also adopted the Smiley. It became the symbol of "acid house" electronic dance music. A T-Shirt with a Smiley was the coolest thing to wear to a nightclub in London!
The 1990s: The Smiley's prehistoric origins
In 1991, the American rock group, Nirvana, created their logo: a smiley face sticking out its tongue! It was the first cheeky Smiley. In France, the Smiley was causing debate. Nicolas Loufrani of the Smiley Company said that Harvey Ball did not invent the Smiley. He said it resembled prehistoric cave paintings in France. Prehistoric origins? What an honour for the Smiley!
2015... A big future for the Smiley
Today, fans can visit the new Smiley Shop in London, which is full of merchandising. And the Smiley continues to envolve. Recently, there was an online campaign to promote emoticon racial diversity. In May 2014, an app company in Mauritius produced the first set of black Smilies. Now the happy face transcends all language - and cultural barriers!
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