From his sultry voice and his big hairy arms to his dark sensual eyes this bear had it going on! Some may have thought that he became the spokesbear based on looks alone but truth be told this bear earned every bit of his fame.
Starting as poster bear in 1944 he quickly gained popularity. Managed by Rudy Wendelin until 1973, Smokey was molded into a spokesbear that captured audiences of all generations.
In 1994, for his 50th birthday, Smokey was honored with a postage stamp. Sadly, footage of his 50th surprise birthday was leaked to the public. In the video, which was all over tv at the time, he is seen blindfolded and when his cake was brought to him he went ballistic with a shovel putting out the candles. When he took off his blindfold he realized what he did and apologized.
Still, a lot of his forest buddies became distant after the event and a humiliated Smokey went into obscurity.
Remember, Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.

I loved him when I was a mini-kid. I think he reminded me of Ward Bond - the wagon master on Wagon Train - who I adored. Yeah, I know - I'm really dating myself.

One of the true iconic figures of advertising.  Very well conceived and executed.

he has been teaching us about forest fires for a long long time. he is an american icon. great commercial character.

Being a former firefighter I have to say he is one of my heros! You go Smokey!

Possibly the best known and most enduring advertising character of all time. In 1944 the National Forest Service along with the Advertising Council originated and authorized a poster by Mr Rudolph Wendelin of Smokey Bear as the symbol for fire prevention. In May of 1950 a fire burned over 17,000 acres of forest in Capitan Gap, New Mexico. A tiny bear cub sought shelter in a tree and even though it was badly burned on it's feet and buttocks he clung to the tree until rescued by a fire fighter. Briefly named Hotfoot his name was soon changed to Smokey Bear and he became the living symbol for the poster. Game Warden Ray Bell sent Smokey to a veterinary hospital in Santa Fe for recovery. Once healed he was flown to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. where he soon became a star. In July of 1950, then U.S. Senator Chaves of New Mexico presented Smokey to the school children of America. By 1952 he had become so popular with children as well as citizens of the world that Congress passed into law a bill governing the commercialization of the name and image of Smokey Bear. It was at this time that Smokey was given his own postal zone (pre zip code) because of the large amount of mail he was receiving. As a result of Smokey the entire world has been altered to some degree. During his life several events occurred in Capitan as well as in New Mexico. In 1956 a Smokey Bear Club was formed in Capitan to further conservation efforts. $2,300 was raised and with donated materials and labor a log cabin museum was constructed. In 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented Capitan with the first Smokey Oscar for its efforts in conservation. In 1960 the log cabin museum opened to the public with free admission. Smokey Bear lived a long and happy life and died in 1976. His body was returned to his birthplace and he is buried in a small park which is named for him in the heart of the village of Capitan. In 1984 Rudolph Wendelin, the man who drew the original poster in 1944, designed a twenty cent stamp depicting a bear cub clinging to a burnt tree with the Smokey emblem in the background. This was the only time the U.S. Postal service issued a postage stamp honoring an individual animal. The village of Capitan was chosen for the first day sale of this commemorative stamp, fifty years after the inception of the original poster. Though Smokey has passed on, his message that Only you can prevent forest fires is still being taught to children today and in that sense Smokey Bear will continue to live, his message still as important as it was in 1944.