Smokey Bear turned 80 years old on Friday, July 19th. With a tinderbox fire season hitting Southern California as well as wildfires singeing the state north of us – it’s a timely reminder that the charismatic mascot is more than a stern reminder to be smart with fire.
Photo Credit USDA
Smokey Bear started as an advertising campaign for the National Forest Service in 1944 – a fictional bear wearing blue jeans and a ranger hat painted onto colorful posters to educate the general public about the danger of forest fires and carelessness with matches. It took until 1947 for his famous slogan to accompany the stern but fair-bear – reminding everyone that “only YOU can prevent forest fires.”
In 1950 the up-and-coming cartoon bear got a real life compatriot when a 3-month-old black bear cub was found after a fire that burned in the Capitan mountains of New Mexico. The bear was initially called Hotfoot Teddy – a nickname I’m stealing – until he was renamed Smokey and became the real-life counterpart to the illustrated mascot, touring the country and spreading his fire-safe message.
Smokey has remained a famous face in pop culture and can be spotted on stickers, shirts, hats, and of course – outside fire stations and forest service centers – usually with a reminder of how volatile the area is for wildfires. Growing up in Oregon, it was always a relief for me to see the Smokey Bear standing next to a fire danger sign that would deescalate from the extreme RED to a more peaceful GREEN in the winter.
It also gave me respect and love for Smokey Bear. I pictured him in the woods watching me from afar – clearing my campsite of debris, breaking wooden matches in half to make sure they are cool to the touch, and drowning coals or embers that could reignite after I left – threatening the very woods and wildlife that I love so much.
The National Park Service says that nearly 85% of the wildfires that burn across the United States each year can be easily prevented. That’s because they are human caused – the cost and cause of millions of acres of scorched flora and fauna each year falls directly on us.
Smokey Bear is still as active out there and if you see him this weekend, you can wish him a happy 80th – but I have a feeling that he’d be happiest if you took his slogan to heart and remember that every time you step out into the wilderness, only YOU can prevent forest fires.
Photo: USDA
