Smokey bear history biography paper
Cotsen Children’s Library
Today is the official birthday of one of America’s favorite civil servants: Smokey Bear. As America’s longest running public service ad campaign Smokey has, for seventy five years, been reminding children and adults alike that it is exclusively our responsibility to practice fire safety in wilderness areas. Or as the classic ad campaign succinctly puts it:
Though Smokey was originally conceived in August 9, 1944 by Albert Staehle, the familiar phrase above began in 1947. This direct and simple message has been pretty consistent since then. The only slight difference is that in 2001 “forest fires” was changed to “wildfires” in order to better emphasize that fires occur in areas other than forests and that some fires are controlled or preventative and good for forest development. Some researchers have even pointed to how the “smokey bear effect” has lead to larger wildfires caused by the over zealous campaign against fire prevention.
Though his message has mostly remained the same, over the years Smokey’s appearance and persona has changed quite a bit. In his debut poster from October 10, 1944, the fire preventing mascot is a little more squat and rotund than the tall and burly bear we are used to:
Though already donning his trademark pants and ranger hat (without a shirt of course), Smokey has yet to develop his catchy command.
But by the 1950’s Smokey takes up his shovel and starts working on his dad bod, becoming the familiar icon we all recognize today:
In recent years the Forest Service has attempted to keep the bear modern and relevant (Smokey has his own website, instagram, and twitter page). Accompanying his digital presence is a digital persona, often depicted as just a floating head:
But before Smokey went digital, he was a real bear! After a wild fire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico in 1950 an orphaned and injured bear cub was discovered in t
U.S. Forest Service Smokey Bear Collection
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Collection
Identifier: MS0159
Scope and Contents
The United States Forest Service Smokey Bear Collection spans the years 1902 to 2019, with the bulk of materials dating from 1944 to the 1990s. The collection preserves the history of the public service advertising activities of the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) program, which began in 1942. The collection also includes fire prevention promotional materials that pre-date the CFFP.
Materials in the Smokey Bear Collection document how public service advertising and marketing methods were used by the CFFP campaign to promote wildfire prevention. The collection also traces Smokey Bear's development as the campaign's enduring symbol and as a popular cultural figure. Material formats include posters, drawings, paintings, cartoons, pre-publication artwork, mechanicals, proofs, and other graphic materials. There are also photographs, motion picture films and video recordings, sound recordings, media kits, document files, and publications. The collection also includes many memorabilia items and licensed commercial products.
Dates
- Creation: 1902-2019
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1944-1990
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Portions of the collection remain unprocessed, and researchers may need extra time and assistance from staff to access these.
Conditions Governing Use
Smokey Bear's image is protected by U.S. federal law (16 U.S. Code § 580p and 36 CFR, Part 271). The use of Smokey Bear images requires th U.S. Forest Service mascot used to raise awareness about wildfires Fictional character Smokey Bear is an American campaign and advertising icon of the U.S. Forest Service in the Wildfire Prevention Campaign, which is the longest-running public service announcement campaign in United States history to date. The Ad Council, the Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters, in partnership with the creative agency FCB, use the character of Smokey Bear to educate the public about the dangers of unplanned human-caused wildfires. The first campaign featuring Smokey began in 1944; it used the slogan "Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires". (Smokey's name has always intentionally been spelled differently from the adjective "smoky".) In 1947, the slogan was changed to "Remember... Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires." This version of the slogan was used continually in Smokey Bear campaigns until April 2001, when the message was officially updated to "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires." This change was made in response to a massive outbreak of wildfires occurring in natural areas other than forests (such as grasslands), and to clarify that Smokey was promoting the prevention of unplanned outdoor fires, not prescribed burns. Smokey has also been given additional lines to say throughout the years. According to the Ad Council, in 2018, 80% of outdoor recreationists correctly identified Smokey Bear's image, and 8 in 10 recognized the campaign’s public service announcements. Smokey Bear's name and image are protected by the Smokey Bear Act of 1952 (16 U.S.C. 580 (p-2); previously also 18 U.S.C. 711). Although the U.S. Forest Service had been fighting wildfires long before the outbreak of World War II, the war brought .Smokey Bear
History
Origins