"Hot Foot Teddy," later renamed 'Smokey Bear,' stands on the plane that was used to rescue him. He was burned in 1950 in the Capitan Gap Fire in the Capitan Mountains in Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. Ray Bell, the New Mexico Game and Fish Commission Warden who nursed him back to health, stands beside the plane. Smokey Bear would live 26 years, passing away in 1976.
The Smokey Bear campaign started 6 years before "Smokey" was rescued in 1950.
The Smokey Bear ad campaign began in 1944 with a series of posters depicting “Smokey” as a bear giving forest fire prevention tips. The ad campaign was developed by Foote, Cone, & Belding (FCB) ad agency.
Artist Albert Staehle created the first poster featuring Smokey Bear in 1944:
While he wasn’t the first to draw Smokey, Rudolph “Rudy” Wendelin did create some of the most well-recognized depictions of Smokey to-date. He was the mastermind behind Smokey Bear’s signature ranger hat and blue jeans.
Smokey’s signature phrase “Remember … Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires” was not introduced until 1947.
Congress passed the “Smokey Bear Act” in 1952 to remove Smokey from the public domain and place him under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture. The act established a fine against any unauthorized persons using Smokey’s name or character.
It also allows for all official royalties and fees collected off licensed Smokey products to be used for continued wildfire prevention education.
In 1952, Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins wrote the popular anthem that would launch a continuous debate about Smokeyʼs name. To maintain the rhythm of the song, they added “theˮ between “Smokeyˮ and “Bear.ˮ
Due to the songʼs popularity, Smokey Bear has been called “Smokey the Bearˮ by many adoring fans, but, in actuality, his name never changed. Heʼs still Smokey Bear.
Smokey the cub was moved to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he lived the rest of his life as one of the zoo’s most popular exhibits. He is buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico, where he continues to be a wildfire prevention legend.
Over the years, hundreds of thousands of letters have landed on Smokey’s desk. He’s so popular that, in 1964, he was awarded one of only two personalized zip codes — the other is for the U.S. president.
You can still write Smokey Bear a letter at:
Smokey Bear
Washington, D.C. 20252
Hill City, SD high school has Smokey Bear as it's mascot. The only authorized school in the nation to do so.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what happened to allow them to use "Smokey" as a mascot.
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