Listen to the audio history of the Smiley Face

We all know and love the Smiley Face (well we do anyway).  The bright yellow one became the emblem of the early acid house scene and its was a symbol of the culture of love and happiness. It certainly inspired our own Fantazia smiley face alien style logo which we know is a firm favourite with all our ravers.  Today the BBC have released a radio documentary which details its long (and often exploited) past. Well worth a listen as I am sure much of its origin and copyright will come as a surprise that could put a tarnish on that smile..... available until the 11th Feb, though we might sneak a download of it for anyone who misses it and is desperate for a listen. 30 minutes

Listen now...
Alternative read the history of the Smiley Face on Fantazia.org.uk
Smiley meets Acid House...

The story...

After almost 50 years, the origins of the 'Smiley' are contested but the iconic yellow design emerged and became popular in 1963 as a moral booster for the employees of an insurance company in Massachusetts after a company merger. The man behind this visual reminder to put on a 'happy face' was Harvey Ball, who designed the image for a $45 fee.

Alastair travels to Worcester, just outside of Boston, to meet Harvey's son Charlie and hear the story of his father's famous design. Are Worcester's residents proud of its role in the 'smiley' story?

Murray Spain, with brother and business partner Bernie, decided the image was a perfect balm for a traumatised American public in the wake of the Vietnam War. In Philadelphia they put the image on cards, badges and gift items and by 1971 had sold 50 million badges. Just why does he think the smiley face caught the public's imagination?

Frenchman Franklin Loufrani used the image to indicate good news in the paper 'France Soir' and made swift moves to trademark the image. His company now turns over $100 million a year and embroiled in a copyright dispute with Walmart over the image in the 1990s. His son Nicholas, CEO of 'The Smiley Company', tells a tale of copyright squabbles, big business and why the logo has such longevity.

An image of childlike innocence and happiness was ripe for subversion and Alastair examines how the smiley has been used in popular culture for satirical purposes, from Acid House and rave culture to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's revered graphic novel 'The Watchmen' and Banksy's graffiti.

In Smiley's People, Alastair meets the people behind that simple image of a shiny yellow face, two bright black eyes and a 'Mr Happy' mouth and asks what, during a new period of austerity, the smiley means to us.

Producer: Rebecca Maxted A Wise Buddah production for BBC Radio 4