October 6th 2022.
World Smile Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday of October. This year, it falls on October 6. It was started by American graphic artist Harvey Ball from Worcester, Massachusetts in 1999.
It all started when Harvey Ball was asked by an insurance company to create a symbol to boost the morale of its employees. He created the first ever smiley emoji in 1963, the yellow face with a smile. This symbol was meant to express feelings like happiness, positivity, pleasure, and friendliness.
However, Ball soon realised that the smiley emoji was getting commercialized which would lessen the meaning of the actual thought behind the emoji, the symbol of smiling. So, he decided to dedicate a day to smiling and hence World Smile Day came into existence. To this day, the symbol is widely used in key chains, balls, clothing, comic books, coffee mugs, diaries, crockeries and more.
In memory of Harvey Ball, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was created in 2001. The foundation raises money for small, grassroots charities that would otherwise receive little attention or funding.
The theme for World Smile Day every year is “Take the World Smile Day Challenge. Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.” The day is observed to encourage people to do acts of kindness and make others happy. This year, let’s make an effort to bring a smile on someone’s face and make the world a happier place. Simple real-life situations like a kind gesture, a friendly smile, or a helping hand can make everyone smile. So, let’s spread some joy and positivity this World Smile Day!
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