Smokey Bear (often unofficially referred to as Smokey the Bear) is a mascot of the United States Forest Service created to educate the public on the dangers of forest fires. Smokey Bear’s message “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” was created in 1944 by the Ad Council. In a recent study, 95% of those surveyed could finish the sentence when given the first words. In April 2001, Smokey’s message was updated to “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.”
Smokey’s correct full name is Smokey Bear. In 1952, songwriters Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins had a hit with “Smokey the Bear”. The pair said that “the” was added to Smokey’s name to keep the song’s rhythm. This small change has caused confusion among Smokey fans ever since. Note that, from the beginning, Smokey’s name was intentionally spelled differently from the adjective smoky. The Forest Service emphatically denies that the name was ever “Smokey the Bear”; however, in the 1950s, that variant of the name became very widespread both in the popular imagination and in print, including at least one standard encyclopedia. The campaign to remind the public of the correct version of the name is almost as old as the Smokey Bear campaign itself.
As kids we all remember Smokey the Bear, and know we can have that back with this Smokey the Bear tin sign.