Screwed By A Smiley...!

Ever wonder who invented things like the "Smiley?" I'll tell ya!

The man's name was Harvey Ball and boy...did he get screwed over!

Harvey Ball

The Smiley

Those of us born after 1963 may not realize that somebody had to actually come up with the most famous icon in the world—a yellow circle with a simple, yet elegant, smiley face. The design took creator Harvey Ball only 10 minutes to come up with and earned him a tidy sum of $45 ($350 in 2016).

He was working as a freelance artist at the time and was commissioned by State Mutual Life Assurance Company to introduce an image to raise morale. Ball’s design was made into buttons for the company and eventually went on to T-shirts, posters, and just about anything and everything else, even inspiring everyone’s favorite emoticon. The image has earned billions over the decades, but Ball only ever received that one initial check.

Ya know, to be perfectly honest Harvey was probably happy to get the $45 from his creation. Just imagine if he had held onto the design and claimed the credit for the design himself. Hindsight is pretty good, wouldn't you say?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Hot and muggy!