World Smile Day: History, Quotes, & Celebration

From laughter being termed as the best medicine ever to a smile being the only thing you need to look great – we all know just how magical the act of smiling can be!

It is infectious, powerful and can make all the difference between a bad day and a good one. World Smile Day was started to celebrate this very warm upward curve that can cure heartaches and sour moods! Every year on the first Friday of October, World Smile Day is celebrated all across the globe.

Want to know how it started and how to celebrate? You will get the full scoop on this bright and chirpy day below!

The history of World Smile Day

The history of World Smile Day can be traced all the way back to the era of the late 1950s and early 1960s. That was 60 years ago!

An illustrator and ad man by the name of Harvey Ball was quite famous at the time. Hailing from Worcester, Massachusetts, he had worked on several projects. But his big breakthrough came when he designed the now iconic yellow smiley face with big, black, happy eyes.

Yes! You have totally read that right!

The year was 1963 when Ball was commissioned by the State Mutual Life Assurance Company to design an illustration that would boost morale within their organisation. The company had gone through a merger, which had brought morale to an all-time low. To help the employees of the company feel better, Ball came up with the timeless yellow smiley. And guess what? He never filed for a trademark back then and got only $45 for his legendary design!

Later on in the year 1999, Ball started the World Smile Foundation to commemorate his iconic smiley and support various causes associated with the welfare of children. This is the same year in which World Smile Day came into being.

When is World Smile Day in 2023?

As for when is World Smile Day in 2023, it is observed on the 1st Friday of the month of October of every year. Which makes it the 6th of October in 2023. Here is a table of the next 5 World Smile Days with their dates that you can screenshot and bookmark for later!

DAY/DATE	YEAR
October 4th, Friday	2024
October 3rd, Friday	2025
October 2nd, Friday	2026
October 1st, Friday	2026
October 6th, Friday	2028

How to celebrate World Smile Day?

There are a lot of World Smile Day activities that people of all ages can participate in to commemorate this beautiful and thoughtful day! Given below are a few of them that are fairly easy to do!

Draw a big yellow smiley

What better way to celebrate World Smile Day than by drawing your own version of this super renowned symbol? You can conduct this activity in classrooms or with your kids where each of you draw your own smiley, colour it and then hang it up on a wall for everyone to see. We are sure kids will love this simple exercise!

Smile at everyone you greet

Life is so fast, busy and stressful that we often forget to put our own smiley faces on when we greet people. Well, if you are planning to change that, there is no better day to start than World Smile Day! No matter who you greet – from your paper delivery guy and your morning barista to your parents, colleagues and friends – make it a point to greet each and everyone with a warm smile. Even if it is a stranger whom you have never met.

Send a card with a smiley

Another great World Smile Day activity that will be an instant hit in the classroom, sending handmade cards like smiley cards to the people you love will be sure to brighten their day by a million megawatts!

Your card does not have to be fancy. You can send a simple card with a smiley (or two or a hundred!) on the cover in its trademark yellow and a special handwritten message inside that makes the recipient smile. In fact, you can even post these cards out to old age homes and orphanages to make their residents feel good.

Sign up to be a volunteer

Speaking of old age homes and orphanages, you can sign to be a volunteer there and help spread smiles.

Truly nothing brings on a more genuine, soul-touching smile than going above and beyond to help someone less privileged. That kind of smile is satisfying. It is magnetic. It is infectious! Knowing that you have made someone’s day better by showing them kindness is the best way to spread happy smiles.

Post a selfie with a wide smile

Whether you are grinning, laughing, smirking or flashing all of your teeth, posting a picture of you smiling on social media is a fun way to celebrate World Smile Day! You can tag your friends and family in the story or post you share and encourage them to put up their own smiley selfie on social media, thus spreading a positive energy all around.

Send texts with smiley

Especially to people you have not spoken to in a while or have lost touch with. Sending them a simple text with a hello and a smiley is enough to let them know that you are thinking of them fondly. Who knows they might reply back and you may get to rekindle your bond again!

World Smile day quotes and wishes

One of the best ways to celebrate this cheerful day is to share World Smile Day wishes and quotes with your friends, families and colleagues. Here are a few that you can send to people you care about!

All you need to do is smile to make the world around you a better place! Wish you a Happy World Smile Day!
Your million megawatt smile makes my world go round! Here’s wishing you keep on smiling this World Smile Day and beyond.
A smile is the universal language of love, kindness and empathy, so always keep it on! Wishing you a joyful World Smile Day!
Even when life throws lemons, try to keep on smiling. You never know who you end up inspiring with your positivity! Happy World Smile Day!
Begin each day of yours with a hearty and genuine smile. That is all it takes to keep problems away! Wishing you a wonderful World Smile Day!

Truly, there is nothing more beautiful in this world than the sight of someone genuinely smiling from their heart. At EuroKids, we try to teach our preschoolers the importance of smiling and being kind to others. We take a very holistic approach to your child’s development, focusing on building their personalities as well as improving their academic performance. Visit us to know more.