Did anyone else sell Sunny Smiles

Oh goodness - yes I do remember! I'd completely forgotten...

Oh yes! I do remember - the little books were about 3" square? We used to get them at Sunday School.

Yes, I remember seeing them at home, and my mum used to get them when she went to Mothers Union get-togethers.

Oh yes, Sunday School too. Quite sophisticated fund raising for its day.

that's a random recall Jess
Yes remember them well.

Yes, I remember them very well too

We had them at my village primary school, I think our headmistress would like to have been a missionary.

We were talking about people cleaning their plates and how teachers used to tell us to eat our disgusting dinners because "children were starving in Biafra" - and that made me remember Miss B and her sunny smiles.

Oh goodness, yes I remember them, and I'm in my fifties, not sure if they were at primary school?

Oh yes at sunday school. C the late 1950s.

Yes, we used to bring a book home from school and even though we were very poor we always bought some. I think my mum really 'got it'. To be poor in the UK was grim, but to be poor in Africa was something terrible.

Yes I do remember them JessM I must have got them in the late 60's/ early 70's .

Anyone know what we were raising money FOR?

I remember them well from our Methodist sunday school in the 1950s. I might be wrong but I've a feeling the photos were of children in childrens homes at that time and the money collected was for National Childrens Homes. Does anyone else remember?

dodie Probably yes! That's where I encountered them.

oh maybe the babies were not black

Yes I remember selling sunny smiles in the 1950 s when at primary school and sunday school. I lived in Cardiff then and always managed to sell a whole book in one outing of knocking on strangers doors. (Bit dodgy today) I collected the money in an old smelly sock!!! Cant remember what they were in aid of though. Always good for extra brownie points from teachers.

I remember them too. I'm not sure all the babies were African though. I remember bringing the books home from my methodist Sunday school in the 1960s.

Definitely weren't all African. And certainly not starving. In fact the word that comes to mind to describe them is "bonny" (a word used more in the 50s than today!) This morning I was telling my daughter about this thread and she thought she had to sell them once in the 1980s, but not every year like me. I wonder when they stopped.

I've just read on another site that the same pictures were used every year. If this is true, I never noticed!

I feel sure I remember blond children too. Just Googled Sunny Smiles and there's other forums where people can remember them - but no one remembers where the money went. I assume some Christian charity - perhaps to buy the Bishop a new frock?

Or perhaps it was a scam?

Yes I too remember them, the booklets were handed out to us in my C of E infants and juniors school in South London, in about 1956-61. I remember spending a while poring over the photos, deciding which children I would help, and the remainder were "bought" by family and friends. I just thought the money went straight to them. Seems this was going on for about 30 years or more.

Ah that is sweet. Thinking the children got the money.
I think it might have been national children's homes. I was getting confused about the black children (who could do with our dinners) . It was obviously something that went across several denominations not just a missionary organisation linked to a single one.

I remember getting them at Sunday School I think the cost was 6d for a picture not to sure,in Sunday School now we get a small booklet every year with pictures of the school children showing the book's/pens/pencils etc that we collect for every year we know that the money goes to this school as members from the Sunday School go each year to deliver and see the progress.

I remember them in the early 1950s, or the catholic equivalent, in our case the money went to the missionary organisations working in African countries.