Happy Human

The Happy Human is an icon that has been adopted as an international symbol of secular humanism. Created by a boy the figure was the winning design in a competition arranged by The British Humanist Association (BHA) in 1965. Various forms of it are now used across the world by humanist organisations of all sizes including the BHA, International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and The American Humanist Association (AHA).

The trademark is still held by the BHA, which freely licenses use of the symbol by bona fide Humanist organisations worldwide.

The Happy Human was created in response to a British Humanist Association competition in 1965, after many years of discussion as to what a logo should look like. After some time without progress, radio presenter Margaret Knight backed a popular movement among the BHA's membership to commission such a logo, triggering publicity officer Tom Vernon to announce the competition. Of the several hundred designs from a number of countries were considered, Dennis Barrington's simple design was favoured for its perceived universalism. Within the space of a few years, the logo had emerged as a symbol of Humanism, not just of the BHA, and was adopted by humanist organisations around the world.

Original Happy Human symbol

American Humanist Association logo

European Humanist Federation logo

Humanist Canada logo

Humanistisch Verbond logo

IHEU logo

IHEYO logo (International Humanist Ethical Youth Organization)

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