First of all, it’s Smokey Bear, not Smokey THE Bear, as misspoken in the familiar old song (well, familiar if you’re over 45 or 50).
Scott Hettrick
Secondly, speaking of old, Smokey turned 65 last month. But he’s still doing his part to help us all prevent wildfires and he’s acting as young as ever. Heck, he even has his own Smokey Bear Facebook page! But that’s not all; he’s got a Smokey Bear flickr group on Facebook filled with fan photos like this one at right; he’s got his own Smokeybear’s YouTube Channel; a Smokey Bear MySpace page; his own SmokeyBear.com web site; and tons of new videos.
The new videos are part of a new ad campaign to make Smokey more hip and appealing to 18-35 year-olds. You can see all the radio, TV, and print Smokey Bear Public Service Announcements by the Ad Council like the one at left. Smokey is now a computer-generated figure in the commercials. Instead of his old line of “Only you can prevent forest fires,” the phrase was changed to “wildfires” in 2001 and the line is now prefaced in print ads like the one at left with “Get your Smokey on.” (OK, it doesn’t resonate the same with me but then I’m not the target demo.)
Nostalgia seekers can relive the more familiar 20th century Smokey ad campaigns. And you can explore the origins of Smokey from the 1940s and check out comics, merchandise and videos of TV appearances from the 1950s through the last decade. You can read about how Smokey was born through a real-life orphan bear and even how the word “the” got added to Smokey’s song.
New Smokey
Whereas the classic campaign put the onus on the individual to take responsibility for themselves, the new campaign encourages people to go a step further and alert others about their carelessness if they see they are about to do something that could cause a fire. It also reminds us that we need to be aware of the danger fires cause to animals in the forest.
All of this is important to those of us living so close to the Angeles National Forest right here in Arcadia where the ANF has its local headquarters. Many of us visit the forest only for a few short hours at a time for hikes or picnics. There are many local forest volunteers who take great pride and responsibility for keeping it clean and the trails clear and safe. But we all need to do our part as well. Although slightly revised in many ways, Smokey’s basic message remains the same 65 years later: It’s up to each of us to protect and preserve our treasured forests.