World Smile Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday of October. In 2022, it falls on October 7.
World Smile Day 2022: Theme
The theme for World Smile Day 2022 is “Do an act of Kindness. Help one person Smile.”
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World Smile Day: History
The World Smile Day was initiated by commercial artist Harvey Ball, from Worchester, Massachusetts, as a response to his creation of the smiley face. He made the smiley face in 1963, which is the yellow circle with black dots for eyes and a curved line below it for a smile. The first World Smile Day was celebrated in 1999.
World Smile Day: Significance
Harvey though that each year, everyone should devote one day to smiles and kind acts. After his death in 2001, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was created to honour his name and memory.
The smiley that Harvey Ball created has been used in cartoons, films and other media. It has especially gained significance with the advent of digital communication such as chats, messengers and social media apps, which have taken it forward to create a wide range of emoticons based out of the smiley.
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According to the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation, on this day, one can take the World Smile Day challenge, make those around them smile. The World Smile Day aims to spread as much smiles and happiness as possible.