The original smiley was created in 1964 by commercial artist Harvey Ball, who died in August 2001 aged 79. A few decades ago, smileys were virtually unknown on Earth, but once they migrated to the Internet their population exploded in email and chat rooms, and new strains developed which are now to be found throughout the World Wide Web. Much research has been devoted to understanding the structure of smileys and it was discovered that they are essentially simple lifeforms. The claim to be the first person to use this system on the Internet belongs to Scott Fahlman, who attended Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and supposedly used an emoticon on the CMU Bulletin Board between early 1981 and mid 1982. While there are, of course, rival claims, this one is the most widely recognised.
Smileys are a great aid to communication across the vast wastes of cyberspace.
They allow clearer expression of feelings which cannot otherwise be given through a keyboard. But, be warned, they must be used with care. Smileys on h2g2 Smileys are by nature shy, so it is only here on h2g2 that they feel secure enough to reveal their true appearance. They should be treated kindly and not abused. Remember - a smiley is not just for Christmas, it's for life.