Worcester, Massachusetts: Grave of the Smiley Face Inventor
Harvey Ball has an eternally upbeat tombstone, engraved with the iconic yellow Smiley Face he designed in 1963.
Notre Dame Cemetery
- Address:
- 162 Webster St., Worcester, MA
- Directions:
- Notre Dame Cemetery. Enter cemetery from Webster St. just to the right of the mausoleum building. Drive straight in. Take the third left after the mausoleum. You'll see the smiley face grave on the left, several rows down from the turn you just made.
- Hours:
- Dawn-dusk. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
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In 1963 the State Mutual Assurance Co. in Worcester commissioned artist Harvey Ball to come up with something to improve employee morale, which sunk after a corporate merger. Within minutes, Ball drew the now-iconic Smiley Face. The design was printed on buttons and was popular with the workers, but customers soon requested their own Smiley Face pins. A series of subsequent events and increased exposure transformed the Smiley into the iconic image it is today.
Ball wasn't paid much for his efforts, but he continues to raise spirits from the grave; the circular, yellow face is emblazoned on both sides of his tombstone at Notre Dame Cemetery.
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