The Smiley

Did you know that the Smiley is more than 50 years old? 

The 1960s
Making people happy

The smiley started life in the USA in 1963. The employees of an incurance company were worried about their jobs, so the boss asked a graphic artist to create an image to make them happy. The artist, Harvey Ball, drew a yellow smiling face in just ten minutes. The company printed thousands of badges with the smiley face. People loved it!

The 1970s
The Smiley goes to France

In 1971, two Amerian brothers pur the smiley on a card with the words "Have a nice day". They also produced T-shirts, mugs and badges.
At the same time, Frenchman Franklin Loufrani used smileys to highlight the good news in a newspaper. He trademarked the smiley and created his "Smiley Company"... which sold Smiley merchandising.

A Bear

Paddington, a favourite with children for 58 years, is now a film star...

Paddington bear started life as a character in a children's book. At Christmas, in 1956, a man, called Michael Bond bought a teddy bear from a shop near Paddington Station in London. Michael Bond's ambition was to be an author... and the teddy Paddington gave him the perfect idea for a story. In just ten days he wrote A Bear Called Paddington.

Paddington's personality
Paddington is a very polite bear who comes to England from Peru. He speaks impeccable English and he has his own special style: a blue duffle coat, a large hat and Wellington boots. He carries an old suitcase which is full of mermalade sandwiches, and he has a label round his neck marked "Please look after this bear".

Paddington comes to life
Paddington's famous label is part of his success. When Paddington was transformed into a teddy bear in 1972, people immediately wanted to "look after" him! The creators of the toy could not make enough Paddingtons. In just one year, 87,000 bears were sold!

From books to TV
The first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in 1958 but, Michael Bond  wrote published 150 other Paddington stories too. They have been translated into more than 40 languages, which made author Bond rich and famous. And, in 1975 Paddington Bear became a TV series which children all over the world loved.

Halloween Dog Parade

At halloween, people wear costumes and have fun. But, in New York, people put thir dogs in costumes too! There's a dog parade in the city with 4,000 dollars in prizes for the best costumes. Some dogs, and their owners, wear ghost and witch costumes, but others dress as Batman, King Kong or Mario Brothers

Angelina Jolie

This year, Angelina Jolie plays the villain in the film Maleficent. But the Hollywood actress has spent much of her life doing good...

A difficult start

Angelina always wanted to be an actress. She got her first film role at age seven, but she was teased by the other kids at school in Beverly Hills , LA. She became a rebellious teenager, wearing black clothes , getting tattoos and listening to punk music. Often, film directors didn't choose her because ther image was "too dark".

The Lara Croft heroine

Angelina's first big success came in 2001 with the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider. It's an adaptation of the Tomb Raider video game. Angelina had to speak with an English accent and do intensive martial arts trainig. She became an international action star, but the film changerd Angelina's life is another way too..

Helping th world's children

While filming Lara Croft in Cambodia, Angelina met children who were landmine victims. She was shocked and so she started visiting refugee camps worldwide and became a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. In 2002, she adopted a baby boy from Cambodia who she named Maddox. Since then, she has helped construct schools and health centres in Cambodia.

Angelina and Brad

Angelina adopted two more children, Zahara Marley from Ethiopia, and Pax Thien from Vietnam. But this time the children had a dad too - the actor Brad Pitt.

Brad and Angelina met when they were filming Mr & Mrs Smith.

Glamour and generosity

One of Hollywood's most glamorous actresses, Angelina has also been named the most beautiful woman in the world. But she is still committed to humanitarian causes. When Angelina and Brad Pitt had their biological children, they sold the first photos to celebrity news magazines for millions of dollars and then donated the money to charity.

Magnificent Maleficent

Maleficent is the fairy story of Sleeping Beauty, but told from the point of view of the bad fairy Maleficent. She is betrayed by the king and takes revenge. Angelina is magnificent in the role. This time, her "dark" image made her the perfect choice. And even if it's nomal in a Disney film, Angelina is very good at fighting injustice!

MUSIC

Ariana Grande

Ariana's single, "Problem", was a big hit last summer- you probably know it even if you don't realize that you do! The 21-year-old American singer has now released her secont album, My Everything, and it's a hit too. Ariana makes pop and R&B music with elements of funk, dance and hip hop. It's a winning combination...The American President Obama and his family are fans and Ariana has performed twice at the White House! 
 

 Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is one of England's top young stars. He has had mega success with his second album, X, this year. In its first week of release, X was number one in 12 countries. Ed writes all his songs, but he often writes for other artists too, like Taylor Swift and One Direction. 
Who will he work with next?