Does anyone remember "Sunny Smiles"?

[BobbyBrewstersMagicTorch]

They were little books of black and white photos of babies/children that you sold to raise money for charity. Seems such an odd thing to do now, but they were very cute

[MintToBee]

Yes. They were 50p a page. My school did them every year.

[RingtheBells]

Yes we had them at school in the 60s and 70s, little square booklets with black and white photos, there were loads of them

[willowmelangell]

Yes, we used to sell them to family and friends. Perforated edge so you could tear them out. Then an envelope to hand your fundraising into school.

[Destinysdaughter]

God yes! I thought they were really creepy tbh... < shudders > 😱

[fedoff]

Yes!! We sold them at Brownies!

[ALongHardWinter]

I remember these,must have been around 1976/77,when I was 12. There were a few girls in my class selling them. Strangely enough,I thought of these for no particular reason a few months ago,and I thought,with hindsight,that it was a bit of an odd way to raise money,selling people pictures of random smiling children that they didn't know from Adam!

[Evenstar]

I remember them I think they were in aid of Barnados and they were children cared for by them in their children’s homes

[grumpyyetgorgeous]

Yes! I had to sell them when I was in Brownies and guides. It's a really weird idea when you think about it. People actually flicked through the book looking for the one that they found the cutest.

[Leeds2]

We had them at school every year (early 70's) until it was discovered that one of the boys in my class had sold all his photos and kept the money for himself.

[Notmybloodymonkeys]

I was only talking about these at work recently - i think my mum used to buy what was left once all my family had flicked through and bought the cute kids.i also remember filling a tube with 5p pieces in the early 80s to help people with leprosy.

[CurcubitaPepo]

I used to sell these at he church every year. Ah nostalgia.

[StandardPoodle]

I'd forgotten these! I think we were given the booklets by school in the late 1960s/early 1970s and I too seem to recall they were in aid of Dr. Barnardo"s.

[RomaineCalm]

I remember these, we used to get them from Sunday school and sell them to the neighbours in the 70's. And yes, something a little creepy about going through the book looking for the cutest child.

I also remember tubes of coins for leprosy.

[BobbyBrewstersMagicTorch]

More innocent times then. I sold them via Brownies. Don't think I ever managed to sell them all though .

Be interesting to know what happened to the children in those photos.

[Ifeelinclined]

I have never heard of this! Where did the kids from? Did every school/ church do one for their own kids?

[Llongyfarchiadau]

Yes, I remember this but I don't think they cost 50p per page. Wasnt it more like 5p?

[RingtheBells]

I’m not sure how long they kept going, maybe they were 50p in the later years. I imagine when I bought them they were something like a shilling or two

[BlueWonder]

Yes, even as a child I felt uneasy that the pictures of smiling blonde girl babies always seemed to sell first/seemed to be valued more and black/asian/mixed race babies were left in the book until the end. Maybe just my area (rural white m/c), but shocking to me then and now.

[Shortysoso]

Here you go
www.actionforchildren.org.uk/news-and-blogs/our-people/2016/july/saying-thanks-for-70-years-of-fundraising/

[FizzBuzzBangWoof]

Yes I remember selling them when I was a brownie (late 70s/early 80s)

I remember always feeling sorry for the less attractive ones which were harder to sell. All the cute babies always went first.

Very inappropriate looking back at it now

[BlueWonder]

So no, I don't consider them as a product of innocent times or have any sense of nostalgia for them. More horror that such overt discrimination was encouraged in the name of charity.

[GimmeBread]

The memories that come back when you see something random from the past! Yes to the coins for leprosy! My DH remembers these cards but I don't.

[Vinorosso74]

Yes I remember. We had them handed our at Brownies; I found it a bit weird the idea of selling photos of random children. Filling a Smartie tube is a so much better idea.

[HaroldsSocalledBluetits]

I remember these. I wonder what people did with the photos they bought? I mean, did they cut them up and frame them? Stick them on their fridge? Or what?

[HaroldsSocalledBluetits]

I also remember little envelopes at church with stories about children helped by charity. The implication being that if you gave money you were directly helping those particular children. Which you were, I guess. Before live aid and the like I don't remember really hearing about global poverty from anywhere other than church.