Nope- It's Smokey Bear. Don't feel bad. I thought the same thing too.
Now here's another Mandela Effect Quiz question- Smokey Bear the cartoon character was inspired by a cub found after a forest fire? If you raised your hands in agreement with this one, you are wrong again. But this time, don't blame a time traveler going back in time and screwing around with the time line. Blame the U.S. Forestry Service and a promotional comic book from 1959!
The character of Smokey Bear first appeared in ads in 1944. His first slogan was 'Smokey Says- Care Will Prevent 9 Out of 10 Forest Fires.' Three years later, Smokey came up with his now ubiquitous saying of 'Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires.' So where did the living symbol Smokey Bear originate from?
In 1950, a 17,000 acre fire swept through Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. A group of National Guardsmen were working in one particularly fierce hot spot when winds began to overtake the men. The soldiers found a rocky outcrop and safely rode out the fire. Afterwards, the men noticed a scene of total devastation. Animals and fauna were burnt beyond recognition. The only exception was that of a small cub clinging to the trunk of a partially destroyed tree.
The cub's hands and feet were badly singed. But he was alive. The guardsmen took the little guy to the nearest ranger station where a veterinarian was able to nurse the cub back to health. Originally the bear was named Hotfoot Teddy. He was renamed Smokey shortly after.
As the cub regained his health, national news services picked up the story. Sensing a potential marketing windfall, the US Forestry Service adopted the cub as their real life Smokey Bear mascot. Little Smokey was sent on a PR tour all across the United States. People would flock to state fairs, festivals and local national parks for a chance to see the real life mascot.
When Smokey got too big to tour, a special pen was set up at the National Zoo in Washington. Fan mail began pouring in to Smokey and his wife Goldie Bear to the point that the postal service had to create a new zip code just for them! 20252 is still used to this day. Those eager to learn about fire safety and prevention can still write to that address for free information. Though a lot of that stuff can now be found online.
So why do some of us think that the cartoon Smokey originated from a little New Mexican bear? In 1959 the Forest Service teamed with Dell Comics to produce a 16 page promotional comic titled 'The True Story of Smokey Bear.' To offset some of the cost, Dell released a 10cent comic called Smokey Bear: His Life Story (Four Color #962); which was filled with his biography, fictional adventures and fire prevention tips. The promo comic reprinted the biography from that issue and was given away to children for decades.
The True Story of Smokey Bear has been reprinted at least 7 times, including a Spanish edition. The last official printing of the comic appears to be from 1991. In the book, it's proclaimed that the Forest Services were inspired to create an ad based on the cub to warn against wild fires. Yes, for time, a realistic rendering of the cub was used in advertisements. However, Dell twisted the facts a bit to say that the cartoon bear we all know and obey evolved from that fire in 1950.
Saying that you named a bear after a cartoon probably doesn't make for a good story. You might excuse Dell for using a little creative license. However, the legend of Smokey Bear, which was presented in comic book form for nearly 40 years, has now become the reality with TV shows, including History Channel's Pawn Stars going so far to state the the promotional icon got it's origin from a little bear that survived incredible odds.
Now you know the truth about Smokey. My apologies if I ruined childhood history.
Smokey Bear passed away after a long life and legacy in November, 1976.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Completing this review completes Task #27 (About Nature) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
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