World Smile Day: History, And Interesting Facts You May Not Know

Aashita Dhingra
Oct 11, 2023 By Aashita Dhingra
Originally Published on Aug 13, 2022
many official and unofficial events celebrated every year

World smile day is one of the important days which are celebrated every year all over the world for one of the kindest acts, smiling.

This day is to spread happiness and good vibes everywhere and with everyone. It aims to reclaim the original meaning and intent of the smiley face.

There are so many official and unofficial events celebrated every year, on different dates all over the world. World smile day is one of them.

Every day or event has its own specific value, its own specific reason and method to celebrate, and so does world smile day. World smile day is a very unique day. It is unique in terms of its celebration.

Every day which we celebrate has a specific method or custom to follow, but there is no specific pattern to celebrate world smile day. You can make a person smile and be happy in numerous different ways. This is what this day is about.

Let’s check the intent, history, and some fascinating world smile day facts. Afterward, also check out how to use hair oil and how to use an abacus?

When is world smile day celebrated?

There are so many important days and events which we celebrate every year. Some of them are celebrated all over the world while some are celebrated only at a local level. World smile day is a recently added important day that came to exist only after 1999.

The first Friday of October is celebrated to commemorate the creation of the well-known symbol of a yellow smiley face.

The face which was created by the commercial artist Harvey Ball has become a famous symbol of a smile and happiness. Everyone can easily recognize this smiley face.

You also may have drawn this smiley symbol in your class or may have seen it somewhere in your school. This smiley face is the symbol for the world smile day. This day is celebrated with a motto of 'enhancing this world, one smile at a time'.

How do you celebrate smile day?

World smile day is a very dynamically celebrated day. This means that it can be celebrated in a number of ways.

To celebrate this day it is not required that you follow a certain pattern or some specific customs, like that on Halloween or Christmas. Now there are innumerable ways to make someone happy and have fun on this day.

So how can you celebrate world smile day?

There are many ways in which you can make people smile, here are some ideas you could try: You could provide to a homeless person, release balloons with world smile day quotes on them, visit an orphanage, visit a nursing home, or you could make world smile day cards for everyone that you know.

You could also give gifts to people according to their likes and dislikes.

You could also simply wish your loved ones a happy world smile day with a cute smile on your face or tag your friends and family in world smile day posts on online social media platforms.

Remember that making someone smile is not an activity for just one day, you can make someone happy every day through kindness and good deeds.

History Of World Smile Day

Like every important event, world smile day also has an amazing history and intent behind it. The story begins in Worcester. There was a commercial artist, named Harvey Ball, who lived in Worcester, Massachusetts, who created the famous symbol of the smiley face which you may well know as the smiley emoji.

Every artist wants his work to be respected and recognized by everyone. Harvey’s dream came true. Harvey Ball created a symbol that is today recognizable by everyone. You know that when you hear the words smiley face, the image which comes up in your mind is the one created by Harvey Ball.

He created the original smiley face which is a yellow circle with two black dots for eyes and a curve for a smile. He created the design in 1963 and in the 1990s it gained popularity as an emoji with the increased use of the internet.

Now this smiley symbol has become one of the most well-known symbols for happiness, kindness, and good cheer.

World Smile Day Facts

Other than making everyone happy, world smile day has some fascinating facts which you will definitely love to know.

The first fact is that this day is celebrated on the first Friday of the month of October every year. There is not a certain date like Christmas.

When we smile, it creates neurotransmitters called endorphins which are known to cause the feeling of happiness.

Do you know why the smiley face is yellow in color? This is because yellow is the color of cheerfulness and happiness.

In 1999 when the celebration of world smile day became official, 470 iterations of these smileys were created for emoticons for the internet. Now, many other emoticons exist other than smileys.

There is a foundation named Harvey Ball World Smile Day Foundation which is a non-profit charitable trust. This foundation supports wonderful child causes and helps make a lot of people happy.

Why do we celebrate world smile day?

Harvey Ball, the creator of the smiley face, wanted everyone to share a genuine smile with the world to show the act of kindness. As his created image of a smiley face was getting popular and becoming a symbol for happiness, he wanted to devote a day every year to share happiness with everyone.

His symbol has become the international symbol of good cheer and goodwill. This symbol reflects the faith in humanity.

The celebration of world smile day is so important because of the importance of smiles and happiness in life. Happiness has the power to defeat all the bad vibes and bad energies around us. This day is celebrated to make everyone happy, at least for one day a year. Making someone happy is the greatest satisfaction.

Have you ever made anyone happy? If you have, then you can understand how amazing this feels to make someone happy. It can be the best moment of your life.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for world smile day then why not take a look at what color do you get when you mix red and blue, or how to tell if silver is real?

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Written by Aashita Dhingra

Bachelors in Business Administration

Aashita Dhingra picture

Aashita DhingraBachelors in Business Administration

Based in Lucknow, India, Aashita is a skilled content creator with experience crafting study guides for high school-aged kids. Her education includes a degree in Business Administration from St. Mary's Convent Inter College, which she leverages to bring a unique perspective to her work. Aashita's passion for writing and education is evident in her ability to craft engaging content.

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