In 1994, a movie came along about a man of low intelligence who happens to hit a few lucky breaks, weaving himself in and out of the timeline of American history, and into the hearts of millions of movie-goers. That man was Forrest. Forrest Gump.

For the month of February, I'll be focusing episode topics on historical and pop culture references in the movie. Ones you may have missed when watching the film because of the overwhelming emotion attached to every scene, or ones you may only be familiar with on the surface.

In this episode, we'll talk about the $45 drawing that was meant to boost morale in a company, and how that design became so ubiquitous, it's seen all over the world, including on our phones in the form of emojis.

I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind The Smiley Face.

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Media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOHr85z9k64

Music for Makers

Sources:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/who-really-invented-the-smiley-face-2058483/

http://www.smileycompany.com/smile/history/

http://www.smiley.com/

http://www.legacy.com/news/culture-and-trends/article/10-things-about-harvey-ball-and-his-famous-smiley-face