#4: Happy Star (Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, 1956-Present, Briefly Retired in 2017)
Many companies use stars as their logos, but Carl’s Jr. (and Hardee’s after being acquired by Carl’s Jr. in the late ‘90s) steps up their game. It has a star that’s smiling brighter than the stars themselves. From 1956 to 1978, the star also had shoes on its bottom pointed tips, and on its left and right sides sat a burger and drink. It also had freckles. From 1978 onward, its design became more simplified, but still iconic. In 2008, the star leaned on the Carl’s Jr. logo.
Then, in 2017, the design was oversimplified, and the happy face was gone. It was just a normal star now. This change only lasted a few months, though, before the face came back. Then, it got a little more detail. Nowadays, the Happy Star looks similar to its 1978 design. Maybe someday he can get his freckles and food back.