World Smile Day

 

It was in 1963 that Harvey Ball first created his famous smiley face, an image that is instantly recognisable, and still serves as a symbol of good will and cheer.

The image has been replicated in many ways over the years, including the unescapable emoji used in various chat apps, resulting in Harvey becoming concerned by the over-commercialisation of the symbol. The risk was that the original meaning would become lost, and to prevent this Harvey came up with the idea of World Smile Day (now a registered trademark). In the late 1990s, Harvey decided that the first Friday of October should be World Smile Day, and the very first World Smile Day took place in 1999.

The smiley face transcends politics, borders and religion, and on World Smile Day we are reminded that we too should ignore differences, and show a little kindness. On World Smile Day we are all encouraged to

“Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile”

Make that your goal on this beautiful Friday, but why stop at one? Do multiple acts of kindness, and make everyone you meet today smile. And why not take a selfie showing your smile (or a cartoon smile), post it to our Facebook Page (or email it to ), and tell us about the people you made smile today!