Smokey The Bear Turns 70

Someone, or should I say someBEAR, turned 70 over the weekend.  No, I’m not talking about the picnic basket stealing bear, I’m talking about Smokey the Bear.

This friendly bear, dressed in jeans and sports a “Smokey Bear” hat. (Pretty sure this is where the hat got its name).  This friendly and furry face has been teaching kids about the importance of fire prevention for decades. The first Smokey the Bear public service announcement aired back in 1944 and he has been the face of preventing forest fires ever since.

This campaign has been the longest running public service announcement in U.S. history, and I certainly hope that he will be around for a long long time.  It’s great to have such a positive symbol for the fire service, the forest service and for all Americans who believe fire prevention is still an important issue in this country.

Fire departments all over the country have been using the Smokey the Bear campaign for years to educate kids and adults about the importance of being safe in the wilderness.  His message especially rings true here in the Mohawk Valley due to the amount of wilderness we have access to with the Adirondacks so close by.

Even at 70 years old Smokey is still very popular today. He has more than 24,000 followers on twitter and more than 300,000 friends on Facebook.