World Smile Day

World Smile Day is dedicated to the smiley face, which was created by Harvey Ball in 1963. He also came up with the idea for World Smile Day, which was first held in 1999, two years before his death. Following his death, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was created, with the slogan "improving the world, one smile at a time". The foundation's goal in raising awareness for World Smile Day is to "encourage smiles and acts of kindness around the world". The foundation also raises money to support children's causes.

Harvey Ball originally created the smiley face while working as a freelance artist. He was hired by the State Mutual Life Assurance Company in the town where he lived, Worcester, Massachusetts, to create a smiley face that would increase worker morale. The smiley face was to be placed on posters, stickers, and buttons. He created the idea in less than 10 minutes and earned $45 for his work. The company handed out 100 pins to each employee, and they became wildly popular. By 1971 more than 50 million smiley face buttons had been sold. Ball never trademarked his creation, but two brothers added the phrase "Have a Nice Day" to the smiley face in the early 1970's and trademarked the combo. The smiley face became a cultural icon of the 1970's, and its popularity is still with us today.

How to Observe World Smile Day

The biggest events for the day are held in Worcester, Massachusetts, birthplace of both the smiley face and its creator. If you can't get to the city, there are many other ways you can celebrate. There are some ideas for celebrating on the World Smile Day website. You could also download some stickers, posters, and coloring pages to use on the day. You could also listen to some songs about the smiley face and the day, or watch a video about the history of the smiley face and Harvey Ball.

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