The Yellow Smiley's Chaotic History

See a great collection of Smiley Face Clip Art to download.

On the internet these days you see a lot of young people making extensive use of smiley faces and emoticons, icons that add emotion and feeling to text communication, as well as help avoid misunderstandinds of nuance. They are used extensively in email, chat messages, and bulletin board and forum posts. But despite how widespread these icons are, not very many people know their history and where they came from.

In 1963, the yellow smiley face with black eyes and mouth was first used in an advertising campaign for State Mutual Life Assurance Company, which was created by
freelance artist Harvey Ball. In the 1970s the smiley exploded in popularity when it was used on a collection of novelty products created by Bernard and Murray Spain. This line of goods included mugs, buttons/badges, stickers, novelty shirts, and more, all featuring the slogan "Have a happy day". The uncomplicated image and message sent the clear message to busy people that life is precious, and they should enjoy every minute of every day.

A number of parties including the 300 pound gorilla known as Walmart have attempted to claim copyright title to the smiley image. In 2006 Walmart made use of the smiley in a big promotional campaign and made an attempt to copyright the smiley in the USA. This caused a standoff between Harvey Ball, in addition to another party called "Smiley World" that licenses the rights to the image in many other countries. In 2008 a judge ruled that Walmart did not own the image, recognizing that it has been around for decades. After that, Walmart slowly began to move away from using the image, removing it from advertising and its website.

It makes sense that such a simple image could have been simultaneously produced by different people's imaginations with no knowledge of the others. But it makes sense that Harvey Ball should claim the copyright based on his conviction to use proceeds from the smiley icon for charity work. This generosity reflects the values that are inherent in such a positive happy image.

Aztec Arthur specializes in graphic design and web design. See his preferred clipart at Clipart For Free, with Smiley Face Clip Art and more.