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\Frowns Still Free?«,» , At W' f' ' v '' \'K *.iSmiles Cost MoneyBy ANN SHOEMAKER News Women’s WriterThe world has a new celebrity — ode that's not an actress, musician, athlete or author.This celebrity’s face is psychedelic -yellow, orange, green or pink, shown on everything from buttons to toilet seats and known as the “happy” or “smile face.”MAvailable in Japan, England, Puepto Rico, Venezuela, the Virgin Islands and Sweden as well as the U.S., smiles may have permanently replace^5 Hui$ hoops, Snoopy, peace signs, daisies and lady-, bugs in the hearts of fad consumers.“It's the hottest item this year as far as gimmick merchandise,” Howard’s Camera and Gift' Center manager Mike Berghcff maintained. “Anything with a smile on it will sell.”Miss Fran Moyer, clerk at Spencer Gifts, said, “The smile is our biggest item right now. We have at least 16 items and probably more.She listed lamps, wastebaskets, posters, candles* aprons and cookie jars as a few.“Smile items sell well,” Miss Ardath Brant, Treasure Island clerk, stated. **I imagine the demand is as great or greater than, it was for daisies when those were a fad,” she added._The store's most popular smile product is a key chain.Manufacturers and retailers probably would agree with Mr. Berghoff, who called thenumber “probably runs into the hundreds.”Locally, smile lovers can. obtain items ranging in price from 20 cents for a button to $16 for a jersey suit. In between are happy face , bathroom scales, children’s , tennis shoes, jewelry, station-• ery, paper weights, rugs, pillows, clocks, T-shirts, mugs, canvas tote bags and half slips.And on and on.Credit for the beginnings ofhappy face “phenomenal.” . . ^Traffic Stoppers, Inc., Boston, . face fa? haS J**has sold ov2* five million but-1 lV S****'*tons - the most inexpensive ; f[?w York radw stationi main-of the 30 items the company ™ £ originated the face in makes j 1964 for a promotion cam-Commdnwealth Toy and No^. - ^bilfe .Mark Ja^ot)S-velty Co., New York, has pro-,; ^ TProductsduced a half-million of the 11. - Corp*» Garfield' N- J clairas»products in its line.Prices range from 25 cents for a small button to $75 for a lighter sold by the Bergdoi* Goodman store in New York City.'Hie variety of smile products is just as great. Nina Clark, Lazarus sales promotion manager, said thehis company is the innovator.Others have said that brothers Murray and Bernard Spain, owners of Traffic Stoppers, Inc., inspired the fad. The Spains have copyrighted their smile when it is accompanied by lines “Have a Happy Day” or “Have a Nice Day.SMILING — Brothers Bernard and Murray Spain, owners of Boston’s Traffic Stoppers, Inc., are credited by some with the origin ofthe happy face trademark, now decorating hundreds of novelty items.
Newspaper Details
The Lima News
Lima, Ohio, US
Sun, Oct 10, 1971
Page 27
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
LA, USA 18 Sep 2022
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