Fifty years and $500m: the happy business of the smiley symbol | Business | The Guardian

Fifty years and $500m: the happy business of the smiley symbol | Business | The Guardian: It%20can%20be%20difficult%20to%20imagine%20how%20such%20a%20simple%20icon%20could%20even%20be%20owned%2C%20but%20whether%20through%20genius%20or%20luck%2C%20Franklin%20had%20struck%20gold.%20The%20Smiley%20Company%20has%20fielded%20criticism%20for%20staking%20a%20claim%20to%20something%20so%20pervasive%2C%20but%20there%20don%u2019t%20seem%20to%20be%20too%20hard%20feelings%20on%20Ball%u2019s%20part.%20He%20died%20in%202001%2C%20but%20was%20%u201Cnot%20a%20money-driven%20guy%u201D%2C%20according%20to%20his%20son%2C%20Charles%20Ball%2C%20who%20told%20the%20Worcester%20Telegram%20%26%20Gazette%3A%20%u201CHe%20used%20to%20say%3A%20%u2018Hey%2C%20I%20can%20only%20eat%20one%20steak%20at%20a%20time%2C%20drive%20one%20car%20at%20a%20time.%u2019%u201D