What do you do with the birthday falls on a weekend? You wouldn’t necessarily think celebrating it on a weekday.
Yet, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, US Forest Service personnel and the audience at the Great American farmers market on the National Mall in Washington DC, took opportunity mid-week to wish happy birthday to the symbol of wildfire prevention, the character of Smokey and the joint Forest Service, Ag Council, State Foresters campaign, supporting Smokey’s cause is 81 years old this year, with the message consistent over that time.
And, according to Forest Service historian Lincoln Bradwell,
“It’s been going continuously since 1944 there were no breaks where it was abandoned for a decade and reintroduced. It’s the single longest continual PSA announcement in US history.”
The original Smokey character looked different than the version most of us have grown up on and know today.
“They started working with this cartoon bear character. They named it Smokey after a popular New York City Assistant Fire Chief nicknamed Smokey Joe Martin, and they started fermenting and adding a hat to this bear adding pants to this cartoon character.”
It would be three years later, 1947 that Smokey’s catchphrase was introduced.
“Remember, only you can prevent forest fires.”
A presentation that caught on with the public, with the only subtle change to the message occurring in 2001.
“The formal message change to only you can prevent wildfires. And that was really done in recognition of how wildfires and fire events take place in sort of all kind of ecological conditions, not just tall standing forest that we think of.”
Some are of an age to remember the living symbol of Smokey, a rescue New Mexico bear cub injured in a forest fire. He resided at the National Zoo in Washington, DC for almost three decades,
“That’s when Smokey’s popularity really sort of took off, a symbol you could visit and see with your own eyes if you visited the National Zoo. From there, Smokey became so popular and started receiving fan mail.”