Harvey Ball, who was a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, created the smiley face in 1963. His image went on to become the most recognisable symbol of good will and good cheer on the planet. As the years went by, Harvey Ball became concerned that its original meaning and intent had become lost because it was being used so widely in the marketplace so he came up with the idea for World Smile Day. He thought that everyone should devote one day each year to smiles and kind acts throughout the world. He declared that the first Friday in October each year would be World Smile Day and ever since the first World Smile Day in 1999, it has continued every year in Smiley's hometown of Worcester, MA and around the world. After Harvey died in 2001, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was created to honour his name and memory. The Foundation continues as the official sponsor of World Smile Day each year. The theme every year is the same – ‘Do and act of kindness. Help one person smile.’

Where can I read more? To read more about World Smile Day, you can visit the website here.

Links to activities and resources: You can keep up to date with what’s happening on World Smile Day through social media platforms:

Facebook

Twitter

You can access information about events and resources for World Smile Day here.

You can access an assembly on the assemblies.org.uk website which is suitable for use with primary school children. The aim of the assembly is to explore the history of the smiley face emoji and how we can bring a smile to others. Link here.