Blue Ribbon Smile

Illustration of a person with yellow hair and a huge toothy grin and a blue ribbon on their shirt with blue text above on a white background

A blue ribbon is used to designate that something is of the highest quality and is often awarded in competitions. The term blue ribbon originates from The Blue Riband, an unofficial award given to the fastest passenger ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 

The word “riband” is the archaic form of the word “ribbon.” The name Blue Riband is taken from the French cordon bleu, which dates back to the late 1500s. During this time, Henry III of France created The Order of the Holy Spirit, a group of knights who bore crosses that hung on blue ribbons.