Smokey the Bear

Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear in a poster based on the "Uncle Sam/Lord Kitchener" poster
First appearance	1944
Created by	Advertising Council

Smokey Bear is an American advertising mascot created by art critic Harold Rosenberg, and administered by the United States Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council to educate the public about the dangers of forest fires. A campaign featuring Smokey and the slogan "Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires" began in 1944. His later slogan, "Remember... Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires" was created in 1947 by the Advertising Council. In April 2001, the message was updated to "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires." According to the Ad Council, he and his message are recognized in the United States by 95% of adults and 77% of children.

In 1952, the songwriters Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins had a successful song named "Smokey the Bear". The pair said "the" was added to Smokey's name to keep the song's rhythm. During the 1950s, that variant of the name became widespread both in popular speech and in print, including at least one standard encyclopedia. A 1955 book in the Little Golden Books series was called Smokey the Bear and he calls himself by this name in the book. It depicted him as an orphaned cub rescued in the aftermath of a forest fire. From the beginning, his name was intentionally spelled differently from the adjective 'smoky'.

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).

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