Smiley's Dilemma :(

The good ol' principle that the best jokes are told with a dead pan expression doesn't seem to hold anymore. Not at least on the internet and cell phones.

So we have smileys. :) :-0 :-O :P to help us understand that what we just read was funny. Of course smileys have travelled since they first appeared with simple brackets and colons (not the body part), turning magically into illustrations that add colour to the (requested for) laughter.

Of course, we do use gestures and facial expressions to add weight and colour to our spoken word and not every net and cell phone user is a professional joker.

But what still beats me is why is :( called a smiley?