Smokey Bear Turns 65, Gets Hip to the Internet

by Caleb Johnson on August 11, 2009 at 03:10 PM

Who says you can't teach an old ~~dog~~ bear new tricks? Smokey the Bear, that cute and lovable reminder of wildfire prevention and safety, turned 65 years old Monday, and he celebrated in style. Not only did the pants-wearing brown bear debut a new slogan ("Get Your Smokey On"), but he also unveiled his new Web presence.

ABC News reports that in an effort to appeal to younger generations, Smokey is joining Facebook (He has more than 7,000 fans) and Twitter (@smokey_bear). He's also revamping his Web site to include fun, interactive games and programs. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) also released 'Smokey Bear Story,' a new, illustrated children's book. The USFS has no intention of letting one of the country's longest running public service announcement campaigns disappear.

While some folks might have forgotten about Smokey after leaving elementary school, there's no denying that his words of wisdom have stuck. Since his debut in 1944, the average number of acres lost to wildfires each year has dropped from 22 million to 6.5 million. Keep on properly extinguishing those cigarettes and campfires, folks. If not, you just might get a 'tweet' or 'poke' from an angry brown bear wearing a ranger's hat. [From: ABC News via TUAW]

Ed. note: The L.A. Times writes about the controversy over Smokey's name. "The" was added to his name by songwriters in 1952, but the debate rages on.

Tags: facebook, fire, national parks, NationalParks, psa, safety, smokey the bear, SmokeyTheBear, socialnetworking, top, twitter, web

Comments

tjwareAug 11th 2009 4:52PM

Neutral

It is only "Smokey Bear". There is no "the".

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marlborolts5150Aug 11th 2009 5:04PM

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No, they got it right...."Smokey the Bear" is correct.

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Wish BelkinAug 11th 2009 5:19PM

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"Smokey the Bear Turns 65, Gets Hip to the Internet"
__________________________________________

Then he gets a hip replacement.

Smokey the bear, Smokey the bear
a growling and a howling and a sniff in the air.
He can spot a fire before it starts to flame,
That's why they call him Smokey,
that's how he got his name.

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genevadarnelleAug 11th 2009 6:07PM

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I remember this bear-he was terrific, I still remember in case of a fire, drop, and roll---

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Emille GajetAug 12th 2009 11:34AM

Neutral

Gee, wish our company had gotten the million dollar ad budget for that wonderfully useful campaign; "It's not Smokey THE Bear it's just Smokey Bear."
Only problem is speaking the later version has no rhythm. It's like trying to tell kids to sing "Mary had a lamb." Not a "little lamb." See how it throws the beat off?
At least tjware and six other people remember one of the dumbest govt. PR campaigns ever.
For our next trick, let's convince everybody to go metric.
Yours truly,
Smokey da Bear.

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John F.C. TaylorAug 12th 2009 2:43PM

Neutral

Had to laugh about the first two posts being whether it's Smokey Bear or Smokey the Bear. For years it was Smokey the Bear. Then in an effort to update the image, they went with Smokey Bear. There was some pretty long, convoluted explanation for the change. What it boiled down to was Smokey Bear was a name. Like John Doe. Smokey the bear was a descriptive phrase like Obama the President. I grew up with Smokey the bear and will always know this Forest Service icon by that.

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bskwynv910Aug 12th 2009 3:38PM

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yep! My dad knew him as Smokey Bear in the late '40s....then it was changed to include "the" when a song was written about him....and that's how I grew up knowing his name...but in the big scheme of things, does it really matter? My 18 month old calls him 'Mokey Brrr' and we know exactlly who she's referring to... :)

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lynn2dAug 12th 2009 11:42PM

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first con clarifacation. His name is Smokey Bear,not Smokey the Bear,no matter what Gene Autry crooned. Second,he didn't start out as a cute bear cub rescued from a New Mexico forest fire in 1950. The USDA Forest Service tradition of preventing man made forest fires started duringWWII, when timber was a precious resource for our armed forces. Smokey Bear was born from the pen of the famous animal illustartor Albert Staehle in 1945,and the brown bear with the quizical look soon replaced Disney"s Bambi as the subject of Forest Service fire prevention posters. Smokey's official birthday is August 9,1944.
The Smokey Bear symbol became a live bear almost six years later in 1950, when forest fire fighters found an orphaned,burned bear cub from the Lincoln National Forest near Capital,New Mexico. The bear recovered quickly and soon ofter was bubbed Smokey Bear and moved to his new home in the National Zoo in Washington,D.C. the cute cub pictured with his Smokey hat wasted no time capturing the hearts of the American people. the original smokey died in 1975 and his remains were returned to Capitan and laid to rest under a stone marker in Smokey Bear State Park. After the second Smokey Bear died in 1990, the living symbol was laid to rest..."Smokey Bear" Not Barack the Obama.

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TERESA BALDACCINIJan 7th 2010 1:41AM

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My question is.....Who is doing the voice for the new smokey bear? I say it is Sam Elliot my husband saids i am wrong..Will someone please answer this question..Thanks Teresa

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