The way the smilies are set -up is POSITIVELY STUPID to the extreme.....They should just like they were before---OR in a separate window that you can LEAVE OPEN while you are typing your reply......... I see not alot of people are using them...wonder why???????
Scroll down to the bottom of a thread and click on Preferences. This will open up a small new window with a list of Forum Preferences that you can adjust to your liking.
Near the bottom of the list, you will see "Preferred Editor Type." Change it from "Rich Text Editor" to "BB Code Editor." Then click submit. Then you can type the symbols for the smiley you want (same code as at "old BYC") and it will show up in your post the way you are used to.
However, I don't think the BB Code Editor lets you change the size of your font, which is one of the new forum features it appears you've figured out how to use.
You'll have to pick which post editor you prefer to use most of the time, and you always have the option to change it back.