On this day, August 9, 1944, Smokey Bear was "born," or introduced, or whatever.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, Wikipedia

Smokey Bear Retweeted

Tomorrow is our pal
@smokey_bear
’s 78th birthday! Join us for a virtual birthday party to celebrate & commemorate the importance of his message—Only you can prevent wildfires! Join the party: http://facebook.com/smokeybear @ 12:00 PM PDT

Link to tweet

Mon Aug 9, 2021: Happy 77th birthday, Smokey Bear!

Thu Aug 9, 2018: Why do they call him Smokey? And how did he get his name? 74 years old today, Smokey Bear.

A lot of these video links have gone bad.

Smokey Bear



Smokey Bear in a poster based on the "Uncle Sam/Lord Kitchener" poster

First appearance 1944
Created by Advertising Council
Born Spring, 1950
Capitan, New Mexico
Information
Species American black bear
Gender Male

Smokey Bear is an American advertising icon created by the U.S. Forest Service with artist Albert Staehle, possibly in collaboration with writer and art critic Harold Rosenberg. In the longest-running public service advertising campaign in United States history, the Ad Council, the United States Forest Service (USFS), and the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) employ Smokey Bear to educate the public about the dangers of unplanned human-caused wildfires.

Campaign beginnings



Smokey Bear's debut poster. Art by Albert Staehle

Although the U.S. Forest Service fought wildfires long before World War II, the war brought a new importance and urgency to the effort. At the time, most able-bodied men were already serving in the armed forces and none could be spared to fight forest fires. The Forest Service began using colorful posters to educate Americans about the dangers of forest fires in the hope that local communities, with the most accurate information, could prevent them from starting in the first place.

On August 13, 1942, Disney's fifth full-length animated motion picture Bambi premiered in New York City. Soon after, Walt Disney allowed his characters to appear in fire prevention public service campaigns. However, Bambi was only loaned to the government for a year, so a new symbol was needed. After much discussion, a bear was chosen. His name was inspired by "Smokey" Joe Martin, a New York City Fire Department hero who suffered burns and blindness during a bold 1922 rescue.

Smokey's debut poster was released on August 9, 1944, which is considered the character's birthday. Overseen by the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign (CFFP), the first poster was illustrated by Albert Staehle. In it Smokey was depicted wearing jeans and a campaign hat, pouring a bucket of water on a campfire. The message underneath reads, "Smokey says – Care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires!" Knickerbocker Bears gained the license to produce Smokey Bear dolls in 1944. Also in 1949, Forest Service worker Rudy Wendelin became the full-time campaign artist and he was considered Smokey Bear's "manager" until Wendelin retired in 1973.

Take it away, Smokey:

Whoops! Wrong Smokey. This is so embarrassing.

Try this: Eddy Arnold, reminiscent of the opening of "My Own Private Idaho." Would it have killed them to have gone to a real forest to film this?

I know; I know. He's Smokey Bear, not "Smokey the Bear." You make the song work without the "the."

The Ballad of Smokey the Bear (1966), narrated by James Cagney:

"Nonbreakable with normal use" {edited, 08-09-2019: had been this:

Holly Peek
Published on Sep 6, 2017

Oooooh, Gene Autry. I wish I could find a video of this:

For no other reason than "it's outdoorsy," here's Ranger Hal:

Some ads work better than others:

About that hat:

Campaign hat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Smokey Bear hat)

A campaign hat is a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners (Montana crown).

The hat is most commonly worn as part of a uniform, by such agencies as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the New Zealand Army, United States Park Rangers, and Scouts.

The campaign hat is occasionally referred to as a Stetson, derived from its origin in the company's Boss of the Plains model in the late 19th century. It should not be confused with the Stetson style cowboy hat, which has a different brim and crease, nor a slouch hat.

{snip}

Current usage

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United States

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Park rangers



Smokey Bear wears a forest ranger style campaign hat

Campaign hats are worn by US park rangers of the National Park Service. The federal troops sent to protect the resources of the first national parks were cavalry troopers, whose campaign hat was adopted by the Park Service as a symbol of authority.

The evolution of the campaign hat can be seen in a 1905 photo of Buffalo Soldiers in Yosemite. Although the hat would not become Army standard until six years later, some in the photo have re-creased their hats into the Montana Peak, probably during their service in Cuba or the Philippines during the 1898 Spanish–American War.

Following the national park ranger style, many states' fish and game wardens and state park police wear campaign hats. Rangers of many local parks departments also wear the campaign hat, such as the New York City Urban Park Rangers.

The animal logo-mascot of the US Forest Service, Smokey Bear, wears the campaign hat. Smokey's debut poster was released on August 9, 1944, which is considered his birthday. Overseen by the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign, the first poster was illustrated by Albert Staehle. In it, Smokey was depicted wearing jeans and a "forest ranger's hat" (a campaign hat), pouring a bucket of water on a campfire. The message underneath reads, "Smokey says – Care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires!"

The emblem of the National Park Foundation was, until December 2013, a stylized campaign hat.

{snip}

Finally, no good deed goes unpunished. Smokey Bear is an elitist plot to make you accept Agenda 21. You knew this had to happen:

[Mousetoescamper]

1. Thanks for including the clip of Ranger Hal and Oswald Rabbit

Hearing the theme music from the show for the first time in over 60 years really took me back. I visited Smokey Bear's enclosure at the National Zoo many times as a child and there are home movies of myself with the bear in the background. Happy birthday, Smokey!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Ranger Hal

Ranger Hal

Ranger Hal is a children's television program that originated in Washington, DC, on WTOP-TV Channel 9 (now WUSA), a station owned by The Washington Post newspaper. It aired from 1957 to 1969 in a weekday and Saturday morning timeslot. It was hosted by Hal Shaw (1925–1999), a local television personality who created and produced the show.

The title character, Ranger Hal, is a fictional US Forest Service Ranger who was assigned to a national forest. He befriended various local animals (represented by puppets) including Oswald (or Ossie) the Rabbit, Dr. Fox, and Eager Beaver. Shaw voiced all the characters, but a staff of puppeteers animated them. Some of the puppeteers went on to greater fame, including Barry Levinson and Max Robinson.

After the initial success of the show on WTOP, The Washington Post replicated the concept at their Jacksonville, Florida affiliate, WJXT Channel 4. The Ranger Hal Show ran from 1958 through 1969, starring Henry Baran (the stage name of Henry Baranek, 1927–1979). Running in a similar timeslot, it was popular with adults as well as children, and maintained good viewing numbers for nearly its entire run.

When the original show ended in 1969, Hal Shaw was promoted to WTOP management. In 1977, he suffered from a brain aneurysm that left him permanently disabled. In 1985, the Forest Service made him an honorary Ranger. He retired to his farm near Great Falls, Virginia, where he died from cancer in 1999.

External links
• Fan site Ranger Hal, DC
• Fan site Ranger Hal, Jacksonville