Noel Spangler, man who designed the Summerfest smile, has died
Noel Spangler
MILWAUKEE - Noel Spangler, the man who designed Summerfest's iconic smile logo, has died. He was 97 years old.
Documents from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office indicate Spangler went to a Milwaukee hospital on Dec. 10 after an accidental fall. He suffered a fracture -- and later developed COVID-19 while in the hospital. Spangler died in hospice care on Dec. 29.
How did Spangler come up with the iconic Summerfest smile? In a 2017 interview with FOX6's Mary Stoker Smith, Spangler said he knew the festival planned for Milwaukee's lakefront needed a face. He was looking for something that would stick and stand out -- kind of like the way his wife, Jan, a former first-grade teacher graded papers.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
That smile has now become an iconic symbol of the Big Gig. You could call it the everlasting emoji.
