Yellow background with black text across the center, the first letter swooping down to make a curving line back up to connect with the last letter, making a smile. Black text curved along the bottom portion of the button.

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However, his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

“Have a Nice Day” is a colloquial expression when saying goodbye. It is often used in customer service in the USA with the consumer and the seller parting ways by telling each other to have a nice rest of their day. The first use of the phrase appeared in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in 1387. The phrase gained wider use in the 1920s and has continued on into present day. 

“Think big” is used as a term to encourage someone to think more ambitiously or grand.

The design of the smile also forms the shape of a cross, a symbol of Christianity.

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Smiley face with yellow and white eyes and yellow smile on a red background with yellow and white text underneath the face

The is a variation of the classic yellow smiley face which is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Traditional yellow smiley face with black text above and below the face

This button is from the Plaza Hotel. In a 1972 New York Magazine article reviewing the hotel’s new restaurant “The Green Tulip” the writer refers to “a bowl of yellow buttons that stands alongside the mints at the door, the buttons bearing a familiar stylized smile and the slogan, ’The Plaza is happy people’” as one of the many “mistakes” the new restaurant has made. The slogan is also mentioned in a 1971 Sales Management book.

This button is a variation on the classic yellow smiley face that is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Traditional yellow smiley face design but where the smile is made by letters

The Smile Face Museum was founded by Mark Sachs in 1992 in Silver Spring, Maryland. It operated for 2 years in that location, with over 400 items on display. In 2014, the museum was temporarily installed in a Brooklyn, NY apartment. It featured the founding collection, the work of over 60 artists, and the collections of Sarah Jacobson, Rita Mageary, Emily Stebbins, and the Busy Beaver Button Museum.

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

This button was manufactured by the Busy Beaver Button Co.

Illustration of a smiley face in blue with a blue bow tie with yellow text on it on a yellow background

Tastee Freez is a soft serve ice cream which can be found at TasteeFreez fast food restaurants. The first Tastee Freez was established in Illinois in 1950 by Leo Moranz and Harry Axene. The business franchised several locations and expanded the Tastee Freez brand. In 1952 there were 315 locations, and by 1957 there were almost 1800. Though Tastee Freez expanded its menu to include a variety of food items along with their famous Tastee Freez soft serve, the number of locations have declined in recent decades.

This button is a variation on the classic yellow smiley face that is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Illustration of a smiling face with bangs and freckles on a yellow background with black text along the bottom

Every year at Christmas the St. Michael’s organization holds a parade on Talbot Street in St. Michael’s, Maryland. The organization was begun by volunteers in 1987 to fund community organizations and services by hosting events during the holiday season, and has raised more than one million dollars over the years to benefit these groups. The Talbot Street parade is an annual event, mainly for children and families, including a marching band, llamas, horses, antique cars, and features Santa and Mrs. Claus. The event is prided as being the largest parade on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

(n.d.). Christmas in St. Michael’s. Retrieved from: https://christmasinstmichaels.org/about/.

Illustration of a smiley face with a red tongue licking its lips over blue and red text on a yellow background

Skippy Peanut Butter was first sold in 1933. One of Skippy's slogans is "Spread on the smiles"', and a recent ad campaign promotes the slogan, "Skippy-- Yippee!" Skippy is the second most popular brand of peanut butter worldwide second only to Jif peanut butter, and is now manufactured by Hormel Foods, which purchased Skippy from Unilever in 2013. 

A yellow background with black text across the middle of the smiley face. Black eyes and a squiggly mouth.

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes, and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It was designed in 1963 by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.
The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However, his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

A smirk is considered a smug of condescending expression. Today, a squiggly smiley face is called the woozy face (U+1F974) which indicates that the person expressing this emoji feels tired and emotional. 

A yellow background with a yellow smiley face wearing a red firehat with a yellow W on the front.

Wal-mart has been using a smiley face to represent their brand since 1996 when they started to release a series of "Rollback" commercials using the yellow happy face in different costumes.

Walmart has thus gotten into law suit with SmileyWorld, a company in London who claims to have created the image in 1968. In 2005, Charles Smith, a man from Georgia, decided to launch a parody site Walocaust to protest the mega-store's business practices. In reaction, Wal-Mart asserted common law trademark rights in the “smiley face” design prominently displayed in Wal-Mart stores, but it eventually began to phase out smiley in its vests and website in 2006 due to the negative press Smith's campaign has aroused.

Yellow text on a black background

To smile is when the corners of a person's mouth turns upward, sometimes showing teeth, to express a happy or content feeling. Encouraging others to smile can often be a positive motivator.