Archive of products sold during the
10 years our high street shop was open
1997 -
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Remember the time when almost everything you could buy was available with a smiley face?
SMILEY RANGE
An interesting bit of history
In 1972, a French journalist named Franklin Loufrani registered the yellow smiley face as a trademark. He originally used it in the newspaper France Soir to mark positive news stories so readers could quickly spot good news in the paper.
The symbol became extremely popular and Loufrani began licensing it for all sorts of products including badges, clothing, stationery, toys and novelty gifts. This licensing business later became The Smiley Company, which still controls the brand in many countries.
The smiley symbol had an earlier boom in the 1980s UK rave scene, where it became associated with acid house music and club culture. That exposure made the symbol hugely recognisable, which helped drive demand for merchandise.
