Stay updated with breaking news from Dollar express. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Pa. man who owned smiley face copyright, launched dollar stores dies at 86 Updated Jan 08, 2021; Bernard Spain, 86, a successful retailer who founded a popular card shop, held the copyright for the iconic smiley face, and launched the Dollar Express chain that grew to more than 100 stores, died Wednesday of congestive heart failure at his home in Philadelphia. A lifelong Philadelphia resident, Spain and his brother, Murray, sold 50 million buttons with the yellow smiley face after obtaining the copyright in 1971. Although the original symbol was designed by someone else, Spain added the slogan “Have a Happy Day” and copyrighted the revised mark, which he printed and sold on pins and countless other products, from posters to pajamas, according to Smithsonian Magazine. He later gave Walmart permission to use the mark so the retailer could resolve a legal challenge in Europe, his family said. ....