Smile, And Wal-Mart Smiles With You
Last updated Saturday, May 28, 2005 11:27 PM CDT in Business
By Anita French
The Morning News
He's shown up on T-shirts, coffee mugs, notepads and even postage stamps.
But probably nowhere is the ubiquitous "smiley face" more familiar than on price signs at Wal-Mart stores. The Bentonville-based retailer has been using the little yellow icon in its rollback price program since 1996, said spokeswoman Sharon Weber.
"We use it to show that, when the price comes down on our product, it makes you smile," she said.
Wal-Mart has become so identified with the smiley face that several businesses sell a Pez candy dispenser with the smiley face on top as the "Wal-Mart Pez."
David Hall, owner of Coins & Collectibles in Davison, Mich., said he began selling the Wal-Mart Pez a few years ago.
"It was a flash in the pan, actually. It sold well at first -- I may have sold 100 to 120 the first month -- and then it was over. I probably haven't sold even two this year," he said.
Hall advertises the Wal-Mart Pez at six for $30 at his Web Site. Another Web-based company that sells them is Bitwise Gifts in Salem, N.H., which advertises the Wal-Mart Pez at six for $15.
Weber said Wal-Mart also sells its namesake Pez in an assortment of other Pezes, although she didn't know the price.
Several people have claimed to have invented the original smiley face, but most reliable sources say Harvey R. Ball of Worcester, Mass., is the true inventor. According to smileycollector.com, a Web site devoted to the icon, Ball, co-owner of an advertising and public relations firm, designed the happy smiley face in 1963 to boost the morale of workers in two recently merged insurance companies.
In the late 1960s, another company began making yellow and black smiley face pins that quickly became a hit with the public -- and the rest, as they say, is history. At the peak of its popularity in 1971, more than 50 million smiley face buttons were sold.
Ball was paid $45 for his artwork by State Mutual Life Assurance Companies of America, the Web site says, and the smiley face fell into public domain.
Smiley even became a bit actor. He showed up briefly in the 1994 movie "Forrest Gump" when the fictional title character, played by Tom Hanks, gives the idea for the smiley face to its unidentified inventor.
Reader Comments (No comments posted.)
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Not already registered?
