![]() ![]() ![]() It differed again from Ball’s – this time accompanied by the words “Take the Time to Smile”, as well as being more uniform and closer to the Smiley we are all familiar with today. A year later, and on another continent, journalist Franklin Loufrani designed yet another Smiley for the newspaper France-Soir, registering his symbol with the French trademark office that same year. After adding “Have a Happy Day”, they were able to copyright the image and went on to sell an estimated 50 million badges by 1971. This was pushed on by Bernard and Murray Spain, brothers and owners of two Hallmark card shops in Philadelphia who cottoned onto the popularity of the image and swiped it. Very quickly, the badges took off, gaining a life of their own outside of the company walls and becoming a fully-fledged fad in the early 1970s. All in all, Ball later recounted, the drawing took less than ten minutes. But realising that wearers could simply turn the badge upside-down in order to form a frown, Ball added a pair of eyes. He was briefed to draw a smile that would feature on pin badges, posters and desk cards. Having recently merged with another company, employee morale was low and Ball was brought on board to create a “friendship campaign” – something that would lift spirits and form bonds between workers. Its creator, Harvey Ross Ball, was commissioned by State Mutual Life Assurance Company, a local firm that was facing a problem. The Smiley first began life in Worcester, Massachusetts in December 1963. ![]()
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