The word emoticon is the blending of two English words - emote or emotion and icon. Basically they are a symbol used to express a wide range of emotions. Usually, several symbols are grouped together to form one emoticon. These symbols are generally expressed in message or written form. Emoticons are abundant all around the World Wide Web!

Emoticons can be grouped in two categories. One would be the text- based or text only emoticons and the other would be graphically represented emoticons called smileys. Know also that in several document creation software (like MS word), the auto correct automatically replaces text- based emoticons with graphically represented ones.

The earliest known facts about the origin of the smileys can be accredited to one or both of two people.

Firstly Mr Harvey Ball. He came up with the face for an insurance firm basing in the US (Worcester, Massachusetts ) in 1963. That firm was State Mutual Life Assurance. Ball did not think about promoting or patenting the image. He was paid initially for creating that image an amount of $45. But since the smiley image became part of the public domain, Ball did not stand to make any more money out of it.

Secondly there was also a claim made by David Stern Inc.'s David Stern. This company based in Seattle, claimed that they too invented the smiley. His version was said to be created in 1967. The image was part of a Washington Mutual ad campaign. He too did not consider trade- marking it.

Although it is a little of a grey area, most probably one of these two invented the smiley.

The smiley image was given a boost in popularity in the earlier part of the 1970s. Two guys were responsible, brothers actually. They were Bernard and Murray Spain. They used the image in the campaign of novelty items they were selling. The brothers placed the image on every thing they could think of- bumper stickers, t- shirts, coffee mugs, and more. Along with the image was the slogan "Have a happy day" that was created by Gyula Bogar.

In the UK, it was the acid house dance music culture that is largely associated with the image. This happened later in the 1980s. Ecstasy tablets logos were quite the rage at the time and were engraved with the image.

Since 1971, the smiley has become a registered trademark. This was all due to Franklin Loufrani, a French businessman who made Smiley World. The purpose of which is to license and sell the image of the smiley face around Europe and the United Kingdom. Registered, the smiley logo and name is now in use around the world, in over 100 nations for twenty five classes of services and goods.

On the Internet, the smiley face has become in it own way, very essential. Now, a smiley does not only mean that smiling circular yellow face but also includes all those other representations including yellow faces that articulate other kinds of emotions.

As you're most probably aware the Internet is an ever changing entity. Categorizing emoticons into text based and graphically represented icons and images may not be enough anymore. This is because there are now so many animated smileys aswell. Animated smileys are those that actually show movement. For example, a sad smiley actually has its tears flow and a smiley that hugs moves its hands.

In the future the actions of smiley face icons will surely become more advanced.