Smiley faces have been recognized for decades for their ability to communicate happiness without words. When Harvey Ball drew the first one in 1963 for an insurance company’s internal moral campaign, which paid him a meager $45, he certainly didn’t expect it would become a cultural phenomenon lasting through the decades.
As technology has taken over our world, the simple smiley face has evolved into its own form of communication — we call them emojis. There’s even a day for them — World Emoji Day on July 17 — and as consumers grow more interested in them, beverage companies are as well.