Get those pearly whites and kind hearts ready, today is World Smile Day. World Smile Day celebrates the infamous yellow smiley, and everything that it stands for.

The well-known yellow smiley was first produced by Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts in 1963.

As the years passed, and you could see the smiley face anywhere and everywhere, Ball became concerned about the commercialization of the image. Out of this concern, Ball came up with the idea of World Smile Day — one day we should all devote to smiles and kind acts throughout the world. As the smiley face claims no political party, no geography, and no religion, Ball’s idea was that for one day we should not either.

This year’s theme is “Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.” So there you have it, get to it, and in the process you might even find a smile crack upon your face.

For more information visit World Smile Day or World Smile.

Image from www.zootpatrol.com.