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Hey old people on Hexbear, remember those "Don't Worry, Be Happy" stickers, buttons, and so on?
(hexbear.net)
They must have been the most commercially successful bits of toxic positivity merch I've ever known. Back when they were a thing, your chances of getting in a road-rage based auto accident spiked each time one of these was on the back of a vehicle in motion:
They seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth, and good riddance.
I actually really quite like this little smiley face. I didn’t know it was part of a bigger, more cynical marketing scheme...though I guess I should expect that. I’m in my 30s but I saw it a lot growing up.
Taken subjectively, yes, I can definitely see the appeal.
Growing up with (younger at the time) adult
road raging with smiley stickers on their cars and "don't worry, be happy" being said as a thought terminating cliche gave me a different experience back in the 80s.