Harvey Ball was born in Massachusetts in 1921. Early on he discovered he had a talent for art and hoped to make this his career. But World War II delayed that career. He fought in the Battle of Okinawa earning a Bronze Star for heroism. He returned to the U.S. after the war but continued to serve in the National Guard. He was a Brigadier General when he retired.
Harvey went to work for a couple of advertising agencies after returning to the U.S. but decided to create his own agency in 1959. Four years later he was asked to create an image to boost employee morale for an insurance company. The company was going through some contentious mergers, and morale was low.
Harvey took just 10 minutes to create an image of a smiley face (see below). He was paid $45. The image was placed on buttons, posters, and signs encouraging employees to smile. The smiley face became a huge hit both within the company and throughout society. Within its first eight years, more than 50 million smiley faces had been produced.
Neither the company nor Harvey applied for a trademark or copyright for the smiley face. The original smiley face had a very distinctive design. The eyes are vertical ovals rather than circles. The smile is not a perfect arc, giving it an enigmatic look.
Others were quick to capitalize on the smiley face rights. Owners of two Hallmark card shops added the slogan Have a Happy Day and received a copyright for their version of the smiley face. In Europe, a journalist registered the use of the smiley face and used it to demote good news in the paper. The smiley face was then licensed to companies around the world. The smiley face licenses generate millions of dollars, none received by Harvey Ball or his heirs.
For Harvey Ball, money wasn’t important. In 1999, he created World Smile Foundation as a charity that supports children’s causes. They are trying to establish the first Friday of each October as World Smile Day, as a day dedicated to “good cheer and good works”.
Harvey Ball died in 2001. Land owned by his family abuts a sanctuary and bikeway. The property was purchased and set aside as the Harvey Bell Conservation Area and is the site of the Smiley Face Trail.
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“Hey, I can only eat one steak at a time, drive one car at a time.”– Harvey Ball’s reaction when asked if he regretted not obtaining the rights to his smiley face.