(often unofficially referred to as Smokey the Bear, also simply referred to as Smokey) is a mascot of the United States Forest Service created to educate the public about the dangers of forest fires)
An advertising campaign featuring Smokey was created in 1944 with the slogan, “Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires”. Smokey Bear’s later slogan, “Remember… Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires”, was created in 1947 by the Ad Council. In April 2001, the message was updated to “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires”.[1] According to the Ad Council, Smokey Bear and his message are recognized by 95% of adults and 77% of children in the U.S.[2]
Smokey’s correct name is Smokey Bear. In 1952, the songwriters Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins had a successful song named “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 some confusion among the public ever since.[3] 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, during the 1950s, that variant of the name became widespread both in popular speech and in print, including at least one standard encyclopedia.[4] A 1955 book in the Little Golden Booksseries was called Smokey the Bear and Smokey calls himself by this name in the book. The campaign to remind the public of the correct version of the name is almost as old as the Smokey Bear campaign itself.
(the fictional character Smokey Bear is administered by three entities: the United States Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council.
(smokey Bear’s name and image are protected by U.S. federal law, the Smokey Bear Act of 1952 (16 U.S.C. 580 (p-2); 18 U.S.C. 711)