A celebration of Smiley®
Born in 1972 to spread feel-good news, this year the Smiley® brand celebrates 50 years, bringing people together through a creative message that spreads positivity. Since its inception, Smiley’s mission has been to spread good news and the founding mantra of ‘Take the Time to Smile’ feels more relevant than ever in 2022. More than an icon, brand and lifestyle, Smiley is a sprit and philosophy and a reminder of how powerful a smile can be.
In 1971 Franklin Loufrani created the now-iconic Smiley® to highlight feel-good news in a host of Europe’s leading newspapers. Creating a never seen before campaign for positivity, Loufrani then trademarked the logo. He called the design "Smiley®" and began licensing the rights. This enterprise later became The Smiley® Company, a licensing company that became dedicated to spreading good news and happiness and positivity.
In 1996 Franklin’s son Nicolas Loufrani joined his father in launching The Smiley® Company. Nicolas took the helm whilst the world was in the midst of the digital revolution and saw a huge opportunity to bring Smiley® into the digital world. Nicolas created a whole new way of communicating, using a variety of facial expressions on the original Smiley® to convey emotions. His emoticons are now used by everyone around the world every day.