Smokey thE Bear Smokey the Bear is the longest running public service advertising campaign. Did you know that Smokey the Bear and Walt Disney are connected? It’s true! It all started with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As the U.S. entered the war, experienced firefighters and able-bodied men were deployed for the war effort. This meant that communities had to deal with wildfires and forest fires the best that they could by themselves, but more needed to be done. And the best way to prevent something is through education. Luckily, Americans were already rallying to help the boys out overseas and with patriotism at an all-time high, the Forest Service organized the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Program (CFFPP) to help the Association of State Foresters and War Advertising But how does Walt Disney play into it? In 1942, Disney released their fifth animated motion picture “Bambi”. Disney initially allowed its characters from the movie to be included as part of the CFFP’s campaign, but with the caveat that it was only for one year. With the initial success of the cuddly creature animated campaign, it was clear how the CFFP needed to move forward. Thus, with the help of celebrated illustrator Albert Staehle, in 1944, Smokey was born. Smokey proved to be incredibly popular – so much so, that an Act of Congress was passed to ensure that Smokey would be protected and his likeness would be placed in the care of the Secretary of Agriculture. All royalties would go to the continued efforts on the education of wildfire prevention. Council to create posters and slogans. The resulting campaign successfully convinced citizens that preventing forest fires would help win the war.
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