Examinai tudo. Retende o bem. 1 Tessalonicenses - 5, 21

E assim nasceram os smiles ;)

I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:
:-)
Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use:
:-(
By: Scott E Fahlma
Year: 1982